Staring into the blue
by Glamagirl
Summary: When everything seems to be lost, Stephanie and Chris Jericho can only depend on each other to survive.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I do not own anyone in this story. Any characters you recognize here belong just to themselves and to one another.

**A/N** This little piece came out of nowhere, I decided to try it and see what would come out of it. I'm still not too sure about it… so let me know what you think, and don't be afraid to be brutal, I can take it =D

Also, English is not my main language so I apologize in advance for any typos here.

Hope you enjoy!

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Staring into the blue

"Sorry, but your flight got cancelled"

I hear the words just fine, but it takes a while for my brain to register them and comprehend their true meaning… and when they finally sink in, I find myself face to face with the dilemma they represent.

I hang up my cell phone, not even bothering to warn my assistant on the other line that our conversation is done; I just focus all my attention on the woman who so diligently broke the news for me.

Maybe I didn't hear well after all… or her words got mingled with that of my assistant's, because there's no way the airline cancelled my flight.

I push my Gucci sunglasses up my face and let them rest at the top of my head. "Cancelled? That's not possible" A chuckle escape my lips, but it's not an amused chuckle, it borders more on desperation. "I need to take that plane now"

The woman doesn't even bat an eyelash; her countenance remains unperturbed as her fingers keep working the keyboard. "It got cancelled due to weather conditions" Her tone is monotonous, bored. "I have another flight available to that destination for tomorrow at two pm…"

"No, no, no… you don't get it. I can't wait until tomorrow afternoon. I need to be in South Africa _by_ tomorrow!"

She doesn't seem impressed, but why should she? She's not the one that got screwed by the airline!

"This can't be serious!" I exclaim to no one in particular although I am looking up to the ceiling, kind of as if expecting God himself to give me a good explanation of why he is messing with me.

I get no response, not from God and not from the woman behind the counter.

The truth is that I'm already running in a tight schedule; there is no way I can wait until tomorrow to take a fourteen hours flight headed to the other side of the world.

Waiting is not acceptable, my time is limited here and I need to resolve this matter as soon as possible. I need to catch up with the international tour the company has embarked into and the sooner I get there, the better.

My phone starts to ring again, interrupting my thoughts with instant speed. I don't have to look at it to know it's my assistant so I just ignore it.

I sigh, trying to keep off the exasperation in my voice but failing miserably in my attempt. "Is there any other option other than tomorrow?" a boat? a spaceship? Perhaps a teleportation device? I'll take anything that will take me to South Africa today.

With the same dull expression she has been sporting since the moment I walked to this counter, the woman just stares at me indifferently. "We do have an independent line of private jets that could take you South Africa today. It would cost you more though…"

I almost chuckle, almost. Doesn't this woman know who I am? I'm Stephanie McMahon! Money is not an inconvenient for me… time is, and I already wasted enough of it.

I take out the company's credit card that I always carry with me in case a situation like this presents itself and pass it to the woman. "How soon will this jet leave?"

"I'll contact the crew so they can refuel the jet and make preparations for the take off. I say an hour, maybe less"

Somehow that doesn't sound like soon enough, but hey, it's better than tomorrow…

"Are you going to answer that or what?"

Raising an eyebrow, I venture to glance over at the man who is now standing by my side. I knew who it was even before looking; I would recognize that voice anywhere.

It's Chris, more likely than not one of the wrestlers daddy promised to send my way for the trip to Africa. At least things are starting to look promising. I successfully solved the jet thing and now I have a wrestler… and not just any wrestler, but one of the best in the business.

For a while there I was apprehensive they would send me The Great Khali… oh, but don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the talent we have; it brings diversity to the table. It's just that for this occasion I need a main eventer, someone of the caliber of Chris Jericho.

"So you finally decided to show up" I say, making point of his tardiness while silencing my phone. "I thought I would have to go there by myself, fix this mess and then wrestle too"

He chuckles, leaning into the counter and laying his hands on top of it to support his weight. "Well, sorry I didn't drop everything soon enough to join you in your little adventure to the African Continent Stephers…" I shoot him a cold glare, I do not appreciate his sarcasm nor do I like him calling me Stephers. "Anyway, tell how bad is this?" he asks while his eyes scan mine.

Shifting my weight, I let out a tired sigh. "It's bad" I confess, there's no point in denying, not when he is going to flight there and see for himself. But it doesn't matter, because I'll be able to fix it. It's what is expected of me and I have never fallen short with my responsibilities.

Now I know it will be a little tricky, because the tour hasn't even properly begun and it's already bound to be a disaster… but I'll make it work, I'll make it be the success our international tours always are.

"Batista got injured" I say aloud. I'm not sure why I'm sharing this with him… maybe I just need to vent; I can vent and still sound professional… "He tore a muscle without even stepping into the ring, Orton caught some kind of bug that won't let him compete and Maryse's visa got denied before leaving the country. That leaves me with three wrestlers short and a promoter that is a good for nothing commodity… are you the only one Vince sent? I was expecting at least two"

The joys of being one of the McMahon _children_! Vince, my dad, is always pushing us to our limits. I guess I'll have to manage, one is better than none. Now, the divas match is the one I have to figure out…

He smiles, his eyes shining with amusement as he looks down on me. I know only by that glint in his eyes that business-Chris is done for the day and that he's back to his old regular self. "Come on Stephy, why would you need anyone else when you have a charismatic, honest man to save you _and_ the entire African continent?"

I frown because rolling my eyes would be out of character for me. "Right…" I'm really not in the mood for his nonsense so I focus on signing the papers I need to sign so that we can leave.

So I sign these things, trying to ignore his eyes on me. It has always been like this, he enjoys annoying the hell out of me and I let him crawl under my skin. Of course, I had never let him know that little tidbit of information… unlike him, business-Stephanie never steps back, and business-Stephanie shows no weakness.

"Everyone has accepted me as their savior, so when are you going to see the light and follow the path to salvation?"

Once again I have to fight the urge to roll my eyes. "Chris…" I'm done with all the papers, so now the only thing left for us to do is aboard the plane/jet or whatever it is and get out of here. I look up at him, noticing the way his smile has broadened as he just stands there. "You are good… but you are not _that_ good"

There, straight to wound his massive ego. I hope that will make him shut up for the next fourteen hours or so.

But I know it won't…

He laughs; a raspy sound tore from somewhere deep inside of him. "See, there's where you are wrong Stephers, I am that good"

There's the thing about Chris; he's good, he knows it and it makes him over confident. "Yeah… well, then take that greatness of yours and let's start moving. We have a long flight ahead of us"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I wake up startled and disoriented; a feeling I always get whenever I wake up anywhere that is not my own bed. I blink a couple of times; trying to gather up the last memories I had before getting caught in the arms of Morpheus.

I can't get much out of my still drowsy brain; the last thing I remember is working on my computer and then nothing. So I remember that much, but I can't, for the life of me remember what was I working on.

I rub the sleep off my eyes and take a look at my laptop… the monitor is just a black canvas that mocks me by showing me my own reflection. I assume the battery just died while I dozed off.

I grunt, just very convenient… I grab my cell phone with the intention of calling somewhere in South Africa to let them now I'm on my way, but when I try to turn it on I find it has died too.

Great, just what I needed! No laptop, no cell phone… I look down to my wrist and notice that my watch is not working either… Just great! Now I'm in a limbo when it comes to knowing what time it is and how long I was out…

Despite myself, I frown at all these coincidences, hoping we are not flying over the equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle… or even worse, over some mystery island with a huge magnetic force that has the power of manipulating time and space…

Because this plane crashing would be the ultimate inconvenience.

I take a look out the window pane and through it I see nothing but blackness. It's the same panorama I got before falling asleep and forgetting all about my work on the computer.

"Whatever" I mumble under my breath. I just hope we are close to our destination already because there are a few calls I need to make.

I get up to my feet, I'm going to find someone from the crew and make them fill me in as of why my phone is not working… could it be the altitude?

Looking around to see if I spot anyone that could help me here, I notice Chris sitting not too far from where I stand.

His eyes are closed while his head rest casually against the back of the seat, making his face look relax and tranquil. I can't tell from here if he is sleeping or not… he probably is, even when I can hear the music blasting from his iPod.

And whatever he is listening sound horrible.

I bite down the smile that wants to form on my lips. I remember a time when I was close with him… not close as 'friends' close but close as two people that worked together on regular basis.

He kind of annoyed me in ways I couldn't decipher… he still does. The only difference now is that I don't work with him anymore; I don't work with any of them. I'm not part of their family… and if I am it's more like the distant cousin they only get to see on the Holidays.

My time among them is done; my role now is backstage, running the show in anonymity. I rather have it that way.

If I have to be totally honest, I don't like getting close to the talent, last time I did, I ended marrying the guy… he ended up using me.

A mistake I'm still trying to fix.

So I detached myself from all of them, and I know that this business attitude I've assumed has won me some names among them, the Ice Queen, The Bitch and so on… I don't really care, let them have their fun, I still have the power to bury them in the dust whenever I chose to…

I gasp in surprise and take a quick hold on the edge of the seat, because with a scary suddenness matched only in movies, the plane took a quick descend that almost made my sprawl to the floor.

Almost, I managed to hold on.

With my heart beating ridiculously fast inside my chest, I look over to where a very awake Chris is sitting; he has taken off his iPod's headphones and is now looking around the cabin.

God, my eyes feel like two huge sockets in my face. I hate turbulence…

I begin to prepare mentally with the task of moving my glued feet off the floor when the plane takes a quicker descend into nothingness, too violent to give me time to think, and this time I'm not able to hold myself. I end up down on my knees… my pride hurting more that the damn knees.

"Are you ok?"

I hear him say as I attempt to get up to my feet. It's not an easy task, because even when the plane is no longer free-falling it is shaking.

I nod through my shame, biting hard on my lips and trying to look as graceful as anyone in my situation could manage.

He offers me a hand and I take it, allowing him to help me up to the chair next to his.

"What's going on?" He asks… as if know!

Right on cue, the flight attendant came walking toward us. She is smiling and that kind of alleviates some of my worries…

"I'm going to need you to fasten your seatbelts. We are experience some turbulence but nothing to worry about, it will be over soon"

I do as she says, still unable to utter a word. The plane is violently shaking and I don't like it.

With my eyes, I follow the young flight attendant as she walks to the back of the plane and sits in one of the chairs over there. She fastens the seatbelt and stays there…

Nope… I don't like this at all.

"This is really some turbulence uh?" Chris says but I'm not in the mood for chatter right now, not with the plane shaking like this.

I look up to where I was sitting and notice my laptop laying in pieces on the floor… there goes my work, crap!

All of a sudden, a deafening noise drills into my brain, making me cringe in response. My head feels about to explode, it's awful…

Then as if made out of paper, I watch in horror as a the jet starts to crack… and no longer after that first crack it just brakes, the stupid plane breaks in half, the section where the woman who told us not to worry about the turbulence disappearing into the blackness of the night.

"Oh My God, OH MY GOD!" I chant over and over again, but I'm sure no one can hear me. I close my eyes and grip the edge of the chair with all my strength, feeling the force of the wind hit me hard in the face.

This is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening!

I'm still asleep, this is a nightmare… the plane did not just broke in two while in mid air!

But it did, I saw it happen… and I saw a woman get swallowed through the darkness!

I should pray, but I can't remember the words.

I feel someone grab my face and yank it to the side. I don't want to open my eyes, what if its death trying to take me away… because I'm sure going to die of a heart attack before hitting land… or ocean, whatever is coming.

OH MY GOD!

But no, I won't die of a heart attack; how could that be possible when I'm about to throw my heart out! I can already feel it in my throat…

"Stephanie, look at me!"

I shake my head, I don't want to… I don't want to die just yet, there are so many things I wanted to do before this moment…

"Stephers!"

I swallow my heart back to place and open my eyes at the sound of that name, finding myself lost in a pair of pale blue eyes that stare back at me.

Can he see the terror reflected in my eyes? Does it matters that I finally show weakness in the verge of dying?

I hear him saying something, something about my seatbelt, I don't know what it is, but then I feel him unbuckling it.

No! What are you doing! I want to yell at him, stop him! But can't, I'm petrified… staring into the blue.

And staring into the blue I feel something hit me in the head, almost knocking me out with the force of the impact...

It hurts, but I'm not sure of anything anymore.

Everything around me is a fuzzy mess. I can only feel a killer pain in my head… and water, my feet are getting wet… and my knees. Why are my knees wet?

"Look at me Stephers, stay with me"

I look up to him, feeling water raising up to my waist and his hands on my face… my head hurts… and his face, his face is fading right before my eyes… I try to hold on, but then there's nothing.

TBC?


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for all the nice reviews, I can't begin to say how much I love them. So it took me a little while to come up with this one but here it is! This one is kind of a fill in to the next one, I hope you enjoy it as well and don't find it too damn boring! Lol

Oh! I even used one of Chris' real post on Twitter here! ;-p

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Meet me, Jesus, meet me. Meet me in the middle of the air.  
If my wings should fail me, Lord, please meet me with another pair"

Words keep dancing in my head; strange words, faint words, dull words… they make no sense. They keep coming at me, each syllable piercing my brain with fierce intensity, menacing to split my head in two.

I want them to stop.

The rational part inside of me that hasn't died yet recognizes some of these words as extracts of something bigger… something I've heard before. Is it a prayer? I can't quiet grasp their meaning…

"Stephanie"

With great effort, I slightly turn my head, trying to follow the source of this new sound. It's faint like the other ones, but this one doesn't come from inside my head, it comes from the outside… as if someone was calling to me.

"Stephers…"

Doing my best to ignore the searing pain in my head that I'm sure is slowly killing me, I open my eyes… and yet I see nothing. There is a black veil in front of my eyes that doesn't let me see anything. For a moment I wonder if I opened them in the first place.

I try it again, closing my eyes and then opening them again… nothing. There's something about this that feels very wrong…

A series of flashbacks invade my mind, mingling themselves with the strange words that haven't ceased tormenting me, causing a bigger pain in my head that makes me groan out loud in disapproval… but I remember now… full reality has blow up in my face.

I remember the plane breaking apart in mid-air and then falling… there was a woman who got swallowed into the darkness, and then something hitting my head… Oh God! What if the impact blinded me?

I panic at the mere thought of being blind and I try to jerk away from whatever is holding me still, but as soon as my battle for freedom begins I feel the hold getting tighter, imprisoning me.

"What…"

"Steph… listen" The voice is still faint, but I recognize it just fine.

"Chris?" I mumble, feeling a wave of relieve wash over me. "I… I can't see you" I place my hands against what I believe are his shoulders, realizing for the first time that my feet are not touching the ground… in fact, they are not touching anything.

I blink a couple of time, trying to understand what the hell is happening here! There's water up to my chest and the only thing that is holding me up is Chris' arms around my waist.

"I can't see you" I repeat, this time panic coming out through my voice. Why can't I see him? I can feel him pressed against me, I can even feel him breathing… but I can't see him, I can't see anything!

His cold fingers find their way up to my face. He touches me tentatively, providing in me an odd sense of comfort that I can't quiet comprehend. "I'm here… it's ok… it's just the power that went off…"

I release a breath I didn't even realized I was holding… but then it hits me. We are still inside the plane, and this water can only mean that we crashed into the ocean…

"Stephers, I need you to listen carefully to what I'm going to say, can you do that?"

I nod, closing my eyes as I wait for him to tell me what he needs to tell me.

"Steph… Are you listening to me?" He tightens his hold on me, bringing us closer than we have ever been.

"I am" I blurt out, my inability to see and his closeness getting the best of me.

"Ok, so listen carefully because we don't have much time. We crashed into the ocean… I think the cabin turned upside down in the water, trapping us in it. We can't stay here because soon enough it will drag us to the bottom of the ocean with it. Now, there is an opening right where the plane ripped, but to exit through it we need to swim our way to it"

Oh no… I'm so going to drown here! There's no way I can make it, I've never been able to hold my breath underwater for too long… add to it my headache and the fact that I can't see a damn thing and I'm screwed!

"So this is what we are going to do, I want you to swim very close to this…" He takes my hand in his and places it against a wall… or something. "And all the way down until you find the opening I just told you. Once you reach it, go to the other side and swim to the surface. Can you do that?"

"I don't… I don't know" I admit in a broken whisper.

"There is no choice on the matter Stephers, you either try it or drown here"

His tone is exasperated; it only fires something inside of me that is very close to anger. "Then why do ask if you…"

"Hey, hey! I need you to focus here" His fingers are back to my face and I close my mouth at his reasoning.

He's right, even in my distress I know that. "I am focused… I can do it"

"Great, because you'll go first, I will follow close behind" He lets go of me, and for a slight moment of blind panic I feel the urge to cling to him again.

Of course I don't do that.

"Ok…" I can do this, I'm a McMahon damn it! I can do anything…

"So, on the count of three?"

I take a deep breath. "Ok" I _can_ do this; this wasn't a big plane, hell! It wasn't even a plane, just a jet… and a small one. Now ripped in two…

"1…"

The opening should be near enough for me to reach it without problems… this will be easy.

"2…"

I just need to concentrate on my breathing…

"3"

God I'm so not ready to do this… I submerge nonetheless, dreading the way the cold water embraces me whole, taking me into its mysterious darkness.

I swim my way down, my eyes stinging because even when I can't see a damn thing I can't manage to keep them close.

I really, really hate not being able to breathe.

I hate it down here too… its way too quiet, there's a calmness that is too eerie for my liking. The only sound I can register is the beating of my own heart. It is beating frantically and I'm afraid it will burst into a million pieces inside my chest.

I keep swimming, ignoring everything… my lungs already protesting the lack of oxygen.

I try to hurry, and when I finally reach the opening I was looking for, I take a hold at the edge of the twisted metal and cross to the other side.

Or so I hope, because if I didn't then I'm already making my way back into the cabin. A cabin that by now could be completely submerged underwater for all I know.

I begin the ascent that I hope will take me to the surface; by now my lungs are screaming in pain, sending a bolt of discomfort right into my chest.

This is the most distressing feeling I ever had in my life; as much as I keep swimming upward I still haven't reached the surface. I kick and swim and swallow water and still nothing.

My headache has passed to be a slight inconvenience, the icy fingers of this black water tightening around my throat is the only thing my mind can worry as of now.

I don't know if I'm going to make it out of here, the image of my broken body floating in these waters for all eternity begging to settle in my mind…

But then, when all hope was gone and my hold on life was disintegrating through my fingers, my head breaks to the surface and a cool breeze welcomes me outside.

I manage to take a deep breath somewhere in between a fits of coughing. I don't mind… the air filling my lungs is sweet and comforting; breathing had never been so missed!

I take a look around, relieved with the fact that I can finally see. The sky is a black, starry canopy above me, the face of the moon providing the only illumination to the desolation that surrounds me…

I take it all in, I'm in the middle of a big, vast nothingness… there's just water and what I assume are broken pieces of the jet floating everywhere.

But no Chris… I look around, searching for any sign of him… nothing. Struggling to maintain myself floating, I give another full turn, hoping to see his head poking out of the water.

Such thing doesn't happen.

Desperation begins to eat a hole in the pit of my stomach… Chris is nowhere to be found… I'm about to start calling for him when as if in cue his head breaks to the surface.

I've never been so glad to see him in my entire life! Even when we aren't the best of friends I wouldn't like him to die here.

That takes me to another matter… what about the pilot? Where is he…?

"Woo! Mama-se, mama-sa, ma-ma-coo-sa"

Oh no! Now he lost his mind… I heard that lack of oxygen to the brain can do that. I swim to where his is, a bit preoccupied, and as soon as I approach him he turns to face me.

"You ok?" He asks while rubbing water off his eyes.

Well, he looks sane to me, even when that is one of the stupidest questions I have ever heard.

"The plane I was in broke in mid-flight and crashed, now I'm adrift in the middle of the ocean, what do you think?"

"Ok… still same old Stephanie… I was hoping the blow to the head would turn you into a nicer version of yourself" He turns around and swims to a big-white floating object that looks suspiciously like one of the jet's wings. He rests half of his body on top of it.

It looks better that fighting to maintain myself afloat, so I decide to ignore his previous comment and swim to it as well.

Survival is what I need to set my mind into.

The wing… or what is left of it is big enough for both of us, maybe not to climb on top of it, but I guess it will support at least half our bodies afloat.

I rest against it; my back to Chris as his is to mime. The surface is rough and it scratches my skin as I lay on it… I hope rescue comes soon!

"Don't fall asleep" He commands after a long period of silence.

"Why not?" I do not intend to, but I don't take it well when people order me around.

"Geez… where do I start? First, you took a nasty blow to the head and everybody knows that falling asleep is the dumbest thing to do after a bump in the head; second, you could roll over and fall into the ocean where you could drown or be eaten by a shark or something; third… I don't need a third! The first two are valid enough for you to comprehend"

I roll my eyes; I liked him better back in that cabin, when death was upon us.

Whatever…

I submerge my hand into the water, watching it disappear in its blackness. It is still dark in here, the ocean a mere reflection of the night that watches over us.

There are no sharks in here… at least I hope so, because if there are we are both doomed… I mean, we could get half our bodies eaten out here… as they are still underwater.

"So what's the last movie you saw?" He ask casually, as if we where… anywhere but here!

"What?"

"You know, movies… also known as films, they usually come to theaters first and then get release on DVD… your father's company has even produced a few ones"

"I know what a movie is, but thanks for the lesson in the matter"

"So…"

I take a deep breath, I know that he is trying to form a civil conversation; it just feels kind of awkward… after all we are in the middle of the open sea, all alone and floating over a broken wing of what used to be our plane.

"I don't remember" I finally say and I swear I'm speaking the truth. "I've been busy…"

"Wow… too busy to watch a movie, that sucks"

I shrug even when he can't see it… what can I say, it's true. I'm a very busy woman, work consumes all my life.

"What about music, do you like music and if so what kind of music you dig? Or you are too busy to listen to it too?"

I shrug again, thinking about how we have known each other for such a long time and we don't even know basic facts about each other…

I do like music; I just don't get to hear too much of it… told you I was busy. I don't tell him that, obviously! I think about it for a while and come up with the ones I like the most.

"I like Alternative, The Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Breaking Benjamin…"

He chuckles and I stop talking. "What?"

"Nothing… keep going" I can hear amusement in his voice and I wonder what did I say to amuse him so.

"No, you are making fun of me! What's wrong with my taste in music?" I say a bit too lighthearted for the situation we are in.

"Nothing, really. Just not the type of music I listen to"

"Hmmm…" I bet he likes the loud one, the one I can't stand… I do know he haves a band…

We fall again into a comfortable silence. This is really surreal, it's the kind of stuff that happens in B movies and crappy novels, it's definitely not the kind of stuff that happens in real life… at least not in mine.

"Chris?"

"What?"

"Do you think they are looking for us?"

"Of course they are, Stephers. Before the sun comes up we are going to hear a helicopter flying by and then we are going to see men in cool blue uniforms climbing down a rope to rescue us"

I nod, hoping that he is right, because I'm getting too damn cold in here and I want to go back to firm land… there's nothing I want more than that right now.

"We are going to have a hell of a tale to share when we go back… maybe we'll even get a movie out of this. I want Brad Pitt to play my part"

I frown, only Chris could come up with such nonsense.

"I wish they would hurry up…" I say as an afterthought before closing my eyes, I'm feeling very tired.

"Do you really think there are sharks in here?"

He doesn't respond immediately and for a moment I think he fell asleep on me… great, and he was the one ordering me not to do that!

"Of course not"

I smile, I know he is lying but I don't mind, we are not going to be here long enough for sharks to come and greet us into their domain, because soon there will be a helicopter, maybe a boat searching for us.

I know it.

TBC!

**A/N** The lyrics at the beginning are part of a cover song by Led Zeppelin called In My Times Of Dying. I just liked them and threw them here!


	3. Chapter 3

Big thanks to austrian-wunderkind, HBKloverHBK, Renna33, DarkZoul, RKO and wrasslinlvr20 for reviewing last chapter, you guys rock my world!

No, I'm really sorry it took me so long to come up with this, let's just hope that I can update more often now, this chapter gave me some trouble… argh!

Hope you enjoy!

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I open up my eyes to see one of my suitcases floating by. It passed right by my side, floating stealthily over an immense blue sea that seemed to have no end. Now, I have waken up to a lot of weird things in my life, but this easily takes the cake.

I blink a couple of times, trying to assemble some kind of order inside my head. There's a mess of insane thoughts running wild in there and I have a difficult time separating what's real and what is not.

But then I remember it all, a wave of clarity hits me like a blow to the stomach. It takes me less than a minute to realize that all the crazy images that duel on my mind are not part of my wrecked imagination; they are only part of my unfortunate reality.

Oh God!

I take a deep breath, hoping it will allow me to exhale my increasing anxiety into the wind. I read somewhere that regulating your breathing helps to relax, so if I could focus on my breathing I might find this whole situation easier to endure.

So I let it all out… and it doesn't work. I still feel anxious… what is this anyways? I can't quite comprehend why am I still here, where is the rescue?

Judging by the chastising intensity of the sun shining from above, I can obviously come to the conclusion that night is gone and a new day has begun. And still, we float here…

Yes, we… because even when I can't see him I know Chris is right behind me. I can feel him, is he asleep? Passed out from shock?

Whatever he is, his silence tells me that he is obviously not awake.

I take another deep breath. This is not good; I just need to focus on something.

I extend my hand, trying to get hold of my wandering suitcase. The effort to get it makes me take notice that I'm aching all over, the position I inconveniently fell asleep was not the most ideal… but then again, this whole situation is less than ideal.

I close my eyes. Breath in, breath out… it's not that difficult, I do it every day of my life!

I open my eyes once again and look around, spotting once again my D&G rolling suitcase… now turned into a floating suitcase. I try to reach for it, but as I suspected, I fail miserably. The damn thing is already too far away.

I follow it with my gaze, watching the slow progress of the expensive piece of nothing getting more and more out of my reach.

That's when I see it… in the distance, like a mirage.

I close my eyes and count to ten, allowing some time for my brain to clear up. I don't want to get my hopes up only to find out this is my imagination reflecting over there, but when I open them again it's still there! It didn't disappear in thin air as I feared it would.

"Chris…" I call out to him but my voice is only a raspy whisper, I highly doubt he heard my pathetic attempt at communication.

My throat hurts… how come I didn't realized it until now? It feels as if I just swallowed a full bucket of sand.

But that doesn't matter right now! I need to move over to my side and face Chris, I want to wake him up and make him look over there too. If he sees what I think I'm seeing, then it's real.

And God, I hope it's real!

I push my weight with my arms and begin the torturous process of turning to my side, but in my haste to do so I only manage to roll backwards and into the water.

Go me!

I go under with a splash, random images of starving sharks and gargantuan krakens invading my mind. I know I'm being stupid, but blind panic does not reason.

And I can't help but to panic, I never liked getting into any body of water where my feet couldn't touch the bottom… and I can't touch the bottom here.

The bottom… the pilot is in the bottom, with the jet…

I fight my way to the surface, and as soon as I'm up I suck in a deep breath. I have my eyes closed, and in my attempt to breathe I swallow a few mouthful of salty water…

"What are you doing?" His voice is low, raspy as my own.

I gasp, searching blindly for the improvised raft. When I find it I grab for it, rub the water off my eyes and then flick a few strands of hair out of my face.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I snap because yes, I'm annoyed. Not only because I fell into the water, but because he's here as a witness.

"If I had to guess I would say that you are trying to drink the entire big blue. Did you know that drinking sea water can cause your kidneys to collapse?"

I lock eyes with him, there's a rueful smile on his face as he looks down on me. I can say right now, without any doubt whatsoever that I hate that smile.

"Thanks for the tip, I'll keep it in mind" I say in the most petulant tone I can manage.

"It's ok. I'm full of life-saving information… did you know that…"

"Well… I wasn't satisfying my thirst, I was actually trying to reach _that_" I interrupt him with my lie while pointing toward the island. If it turns out not to be there, I can always say it was my suitcase I was trying to reach.

Because if I lost my mind and the island is just a product of my imagination, I don't want him to know… I would be mortified.

He looks to where I pointed and I watch him expectantly… I'm even holding my breath. He stares for a while, his eyes narrowing as he looks on.

Why doesn't he say something? Time seemed to have slow down to a crawl as I wait for him to corroborate my insanity.

And as I look at him, waiting for him to speak, I notice that he has a cut on his temple, just above his left eye. It is then when I realize that we got lucky to walk… no, swim out of that jet basically unscratched. I mean, he has that cut, and I have a dull pain in my head, but still… we are alive and in one piece.

"So?" I venture to ask. Patience is not one of my best traits.

He looks at me, his clear blue eyes sparkling as they fix on mine, then he just… laughs.

I guess we are all mad here!

"Stephers! I could kiss you right now" He gets off the _raft_ and for a wild microsecond, I think he is going to do just that, kiss me. But thankfully, he just starts swimming away.

I look dumfounded, kind of relieved as he swims into the distance. Does this mean that he saw the Island or that he really, really likes my suitcase?

I wait, observing… and just when he passes past my suitcase my spirit starts to lift! Now I'm the one who could kiss him!

The Island that is indeed there is not too far away… if we were on a boat that is, a motored boat. It's like 3 miles to get there, swimming… and I hate swimming, hell, I think I hate the ocean from now on!

But what else can I do? I start swimming after him, of course, making a stop to get my suitcase.

By the time I'm halfway to the Island I'm already exhausted. I have the disadvantage of having to drag along part of my luggage. I feel like giving up, but I don't, I'm a McMahon and we never give up on anything. So I suck it up and keep going. Survival is in that island, our rescue near.

So I swim and swim and when I can finally reach the soft bottom I start walking to the shore.

I'm soaked to the bone and I feel like collapsing, the need to get out of the water is the only thing that drives me to go on. I hope this Island has some nice accommodations… or better yet an airport that offers a safe flight straight to good old USA!

I'm reaching the shore, just a few more steps… God I'm panting, so I try to work on my breathing while I do my best to ignore the ache in all my muscles.

If it wasn't for the fact that I'm trapped in this awful situation, I would take more time to enjoy the view; but because I'm dead tired and my head is casted down, the only thing I can see is the crystal clear turquoise water that is swallowing my legs from my knees down.

I can see my feet through it, and for a while that's the only thing I concentrate on, willing them with my eyes to keep going.

I will never choose that airline again.

Though half closed eyelids, I look up, getting a glimpse of Chris spread over the white sand. He's just lying there, and when I finally get to the shore I can't help but to follow his example.

I lay on my back and close my eyes. I just need to catch my breath, my limbs feel like rubber and I need to wait for them to go back to normal before I can do anything else.

There is a nice breeze all around me, so even when the sun's heat is blasting from above, there is a nice quality about this. It's just good to be on solid ground.

So while I just rest there, I hear Chris let out a hoarse laugh that borders on insanity… well, kind of.

"Our luck ran its curse, now we are stranded on a desert island" Chris says and I open my eyes to shoot him a glance.

"What do you mean by desert island?" This Island is not deserted! It must have an airport, and people… with phones!

I am not going to be living in a Lost episode!

He snorts, turning to his side so that he's now facing me. "Desert island, like in Lord of the Flies and Gilligan's Island… only that here it's just you and me"

I shake my head in denial, my eyes feel like huge plates in my face. "No… we are in 2009! There are no deserts islands in this century…" Not in my reality.

I get up to my feet, physical exhaustion long forgotten. I look all around me. There is sand everywhere; it extends all over the place.

I keep looking, hoping to find a sign of civilization. I get nothing, everything seems untouched, pure.

Several feet from the shore there is dense foliage into the island… there are palm trees, sand and that jungle look alike thing…

"This is not happening" I say out loud, already feeling my self control slipping through my fingers. I look to the trees and plants that lead into the island and then back to the ocean… this is it, I'm going to rot here, on a desert island! "What are we going to do?"

I'm panicking, I can feel it!

I feel him turn my head to him, his hands on my face as he forces me to look in those blues of his. I don't say anything; I just stare, getting lost in his eyes… I'm already losing it!

Is it the blow to the head or the sun?

"This will be temporary Stephers, in no time we'll get rescued. But until that happens we need to calm, maybe explore the island and see if we can find something to eat, ok?"

I nod, too entranced and scared to speak. He's still to release my face from his grip and I don't try to get away from it either.

"Now… I did not watch Survivor for nothing, so let's see what this island has to offer, I'll even let you chose the brunch"

"I'm not hungry" I whisper, why does he has to stand up so close, it was perfectly fine down on the jet, when we were about to die… but not now, now I feel very much alive and this closeness disconcerts me.

He tilts his head, his eyes refusing to leave mine. "Steph, I'm sure rescue will come, but we don't know how long that will take…"

"It will be soon" I'm positive, by now my father should have noticed my absence and I'm sure he contacted the airport.

He sighs. "I'll see what I can find anyways" It is then that he lets go of me, finally.

"You go, I'll stay here. I don't want our rescue to come by and miss us" I sit down on the sand, under the shadow of a few palm trees.

"Fine… I'll go by myself then…" He stays there for a while looking down on me. Is he expecting me to change my mind? Because I won't.

"Just don't go too far away in case I have to call you… for the rescue, that is" Well… I don't really want him to go in there and leave me all alone, but what if a boat comes by and we are too busy getting lost in there… that would be worst thing ever.

He turns around and I watch him leave, disappearing out of my sight and into the Island. I refrain to get up and start following him.

I need to stay here.

There is complete silence for a long while, until it gets interrupted by some kind of bird singing his song… I shiver, and I know I'm being stupid once again, what dangers could come out of a bird? Of being waiting here alone?

But what if the danger is in there and Chris ends up injuring himself, or getting forever lost? That wouldn't do.

"Chris?" I call and wait for a response that I don't get. Did I waited too long, is he already too far away?

"Chris!" Damn him, I told him to stay close!

I get up to my feet and approach the path he just took, but then I retreat and sit down again. No, I will stay here until we get rescued. I just hope he's careful out there.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to austrian-wunderkind, DarkZoul, HBKloverHBK, dehlia666 & wrasslinlvr20 for the nice reviews!! I love them all!

So! Because I don't want to be duck-taped into a chair, I came with this! Hope you enjoy!

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Patience is not one of my best traits. I'm sure I've said it before but I find myself in the need to emphasize on it again.

I just hate it. Is not just an aspect of my mind that makes my mood sour, but it transcends to the physical; it boils within me and escapes my body in huge waves.

I just don't know how much of this I can take.

I stand up, pace back and forth, sit back again and still nothing, no one. I've been repeating this routine every once in a while. By now desperation is starting to get the best of me, gnawing at my bones.

My wait here seems to drag into eternity!

And where the hell is Chris? He should be back by now. I look back to where he disappeared ages ago, there's still no sign of him returning, so it's double the wait for me.

I sigh, turning my gaze back to the horizon until the rays of light make my eyes water. I blink the discomfort away and keep looking. The wait continues but I'm not going to give up hope; soon I'm going to spot a rescue boat coming our way and this nightmare is going to be over.

Until then I'll just have to keep waiting.

The notion of time is lost to me; I'm not even sure what time is it or how much time I have spent here waiting. All I know is that it has been way too long.

Even the palms of my hands have suffered the consequences, as I have dug my fingernails unmercifully into them. I look down to my nails, feeling like biting them off… a bad habit I kicked out long ago and that is now menacing to resurface.

Come on Chris, where are you?

The heat that has taken over in this godforsaken island is not helping my cause either. As time goes by, the intensity of the sun increases and I have nowhere to escape it. Even the shadow casted by the huge palm tree behind me is not enough to guard me of this cruel heat.

I am not made for this tropical weather, the humidity is killing me.

I pull my suitcase closer to me and start rummaging through it once more. The hopes of finding something that will help us out of here died long ago when I couldn't find a boat, a flare or even a working cell phone… but why would I have such things? It's not as if I packed them.

The contents in it have not changed since the last time I checked. I may not have surviving material in there, but at least I have a few fresh changes of clothes and maybe even something to eat.

I search through it, finding nothing useful. Can I eat a deodorant? Can I brush my way out of here?

Didn't think so.

But I'm almost sure that I packed a few granola bars! Guess I didn't… those would have been useful.

The clothes that I'm wearing had long ago dried on my skin, but I feel sticky with sweat… and I'm full of sand… I'm a mess!

Enough of this, I stand up and step out of the shadow, and as unbelievable as this sounds, the temperature is way hotter out here, hotter than hell.

It takes all of my will not to go back and sit under the somewhat comforting shade.

I try to block the heat out of my mind and focus on the path ahead of me. When I finally make it to the crystalline waters, I advance and get in. I only want to refresh myself, so I take a brief dip, get drenched and step out.

As cool and refreshing as the water is, I don't want to stay in it longer than necessary.

My way back is way more pleasant, must be the water dripping off of me. Now, if I could only have a proper shower… a bubble bath would do wonders to me.

Back under the shadow of _my_ palm tree, I take a brief glance into the bushes, Chris is nowhere to be found… if he doesn't come back soon I'll have to get in there and look for him myself.

But that will be later; now that he is not here I take the opportunity to select a more comforting change of clothes. I look back again, and when I'm sure he's still not there, I hurry to take off the ones I'm wearing.

Thank God I packed shorts for this trip. I usually don't, but because it was Africa I was heading to, I thought they would come handy… at least for the hotel.

If I only knew back then what was going to happen…

I toss my drenched clothes away, I don't even want to look at them from now on, those are unlucky clothes. We should make a pyre out of them!

I quickly put on clean underwear and a sleeveless shirt, enjoying while it lasted the sensation of the scarce breeze against my exposed skin.

I can't help but to think on my mother and how she always ranted to Shane and me about why we should never put clean underwear without bathing first… well mom, this is a very unique situation and I don't think it counts as…

"Nice tush"

I turn around startled, almost tripping over into the sand. My pants are still in my hand and I cover myself with them.

"Chris! What… turn around!" I yell as he looks at me with a smug look on his face. Sure it's not as if I'm naked, but I don't want him staring at me while I'm in my damn panties!

"Why?" He laughs but turns away as I hurry to put on my pants. "It's not like I'll never going to see you in less than that"

"What the hell does that mean?" I spit the words out; I can't believe the nerve of him.

"Think about it Stephers, we are in an isolated island in the middle of God knows where. Rescue is yet to come… as far as we know it might never come. So you and I have the obligation to populate this island with cute little savage kids…"

I gasp. "Oh you are such a pig; I wouldn't populate anything with you even if you were the last man on this planet"

He turns around, the smile still on his face as he walks over to me. I take a step back but as soon as I realize I'm retreating from him I stop. This is Chris here; he's just trying to mess with me.

"Princess, I'm not the last man on this planet, but I am the only man on this Island. That you and I end up together is destiny… its axiomatic"

He is standing right in front of me, too close for comfort. What the hell is wrong with him? Is this heat already messing with his mind?

I take a good look at him through half closed eyelids, somewhere along his journey into that jungle he lost his shirt… so he is _very_ shirtless and… did I mention that he is way too close to me?

Is not as if I haven't seen him shirtless before, the way he goes to the ring is way more revealing than what he is wearing now. But still…

I raise an eyebrow, shooting him an indifferent look. "Well, I guess that human life in this Island will die with us"

He laughs at that, a full hoarse laugh that seemed to escape from his very core; it makes his eyes sparkle with amusement. "Ah, touché" He backs away and I feel certain relief in that, like I can finally breathe.

What is wrong with me? It must definitely be the heat… maybe the blow to the head.

I shake my head, trying to clear it up. Thankfully, everything went back to normal as soon as he turned away from me… or as normal as we are going to get here.

"So what did you find?" I ask trying to forget the previous incident. I take notice that he came back empty handed… well, not empty handed because there is some kind of stick in his hand. But the food that he went to find is nowhere to be found.

He sits down on a rock, takes out a pocketknife and starts peeling with it one of the edges of the wooden stick he brought with him. "There is a small lake about a mile into the jungle, other than that there's nothing other than trees and lizards"

I feel a shiver run through my body, I hate lizards! Of all the islands in this world why did we have get stranded in one full of lizards?

"Would we be able to drink water from that lake?" I ask because I'm thirsty and that might be our only source of _potable_ water.

"Sure… I would have brought you some but I didn't have anything to bring it to you, sorry" He looks at me apologetically before returning to his task. "If you want to go there I can point you the way"

I don't think so… I mean, I am thirsty and all, but there is no chance I'm going to venture in there alone, not if there are lizards roaming around.

But now that I know about this endless source of drinking water I can't help but to feel my mouth all dry and withering.

"Yeah, maybe later… what's up with the stick?"

He looks up at me and snorts. "It's a lance, and with this baby I'm going to get us some food"

"Uh…" I mumble, while watching him work.

I bit my lips, thoughts of cold drinking water invading my mind. When the time comes that he decides to go back there I'm going with him. I won't deny my body of that precious liquid.

Once he is finished sharpening that lance of his, he stands up and grins at me. "Watch and learn kiddo" After saying that he just leaves.

I frown, watching him walk toward a bunch of rocks at one side of the ocean. I watch as he gets in and start looking into the water for something. Is it fish what he is looking for? He is never going to get one.

I've seen movies, and the only way he is catching a fish with that stick is if he gets extremely lucky.

Should I go and tell him that?

Now, don't get me wrong, I want him to catch a few big fishes… after all I am getting hungry.

After a long while, I get tired of watching him impale his improvised lance into the water and getting nothing in return, I don't know why he keeps it up after all the failed attempts. I look away, back to the horizon and in search of the rescue boat that will take us out of here.

I don't see any kind of boat, but I do see something else floating by. I strain my eyesight, trying to get a better look.

I walk closer to the shore and look on, the force of the sun chastising me as soon as I walk out of the shade. Up close I see that there are a couple of these floating objects, and as they get closer I see that they are suitcases! Probably Chris'… and I can also see my handbag.

I consider my options, I can let the current carry them wherever it pleases or I can go and get them. They are not too far away, in fact, they are within swimming distance.

Chris is still occupied with pocking the water, and I don't think he'll give that up to help me get his stuff… so I decide to do it; I get in and swim to get the damn things.

It takes me a while to get the entire luggage out of the water; there are three big suitcases and my handbag. By the time I'm done I'm tired, soaking and thirstier than ever.

And Chris is still oblivious to it all. I could have drowned in there and he wouldn't have noticed.

I drag all the stuff to the shadow, and when they are all here I sit for a while, catching my breath. Maybe Chris does have something to eat among his stuff, maybe even something to drink. I know Paul always carries those nasty energy drinks everywhere he goes.

So occupied I am with my thoughts that I don't notice Chris getting out of the water until he passes in a flash by my side.

I stand, but before I can even open my mouth to say something he is back into the jungle, mumbling and cursing under his breath.

"Chris!" I yell after him. Where is he going? I wanted to go there too! I'm thirsty…

"Chris!" I walk there, but by the time I make it to the bushes he's already gone.

"Damn it" I stomp my foot down, trying to decide if it would be a good idea to venture there by myself.

I end up walking back and sitting over one of his suitcases. What happened? Did he suddenly find the need to take a bathroom break?

My eyes grow wide, too huge for my face to contain. What if I need a bathroom break?

I open my handbag to find right on top of all my things two granola bars. I smile and take them out, I knew I packed them. I always do, it's the only good habit I took from Paul.

At least we'll have something to eat, it's not much but it will do now that Chris gave up the pretense of being a cast member of Survivor. I put them into my other suitcase to eat later, when he gets back.

I keep looking in, but I only have more clothes, documents that are beyond repair thanks to the water and my make-up bag.

I throw it away, getting more frustrated by the minute. I'm back to waiting and now I have the thirst factor to make it all worse.

After a few minutes that felt like hours, Chris walks out of the bushes with the nastiest lizard I have ever seen in my life. It's green and ugly and very much dead. I cringe at the sight of it.

Doesn't he know that those creatures are my natural nemeses? Imagine my horror when he throws it in my lap.

"If I hunt it, you'll cook it"

I stand up in a rush, throwing the damn thing to the sand. I have to fight the urge to scream… and to smack Chris in the face for doing such a thing.

"Hey, don't throw it, that's our dinner"

I think I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown, not only because I'll probably have to eat one of those things, but because he expects me to cook it!

"I'm not going to touch that thing" I say full of determination as I watch as in a trance how he picks it up. "I won't"

He shoots me a glare. "So what, do you expect me to do all the things around here while you sit comfortably under the shadow, that's not the way it's going to work here Stephers. If you want to eat you'll have to collaborate"

I blink a couple of times, registering his words in my brain. "Fine then, keep your stupid dinner"

I walk away from him; I even do the unimaginable… I step into the jungle, barefoot and all by myself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

It's actually not that bad here… and I read somewhere that a human body can survive a whole week without eating… as long as it has water.

And water I have plenty here, a whole lake all for myself. And if I get really hungry I could go back there and eat my granola bars, they are mine and that I was going to share them with him was only an act of consideration.

Stupid me…

What really worries me is nightfall, it's already getting late and I would hate to spend nightfall in this jungle, there may be worse things than lizards in here and I don't want to encounter any of them.

Even in plane day light I can hear some of them, howling and going about their business somewhere around me.

I throw a rock into the water, trying to ignore the rumbling noises my stomach is making. It has been a long time since I had a hunger as this, years I would say.

Maybe he is right… and it's not as if I don't want to collaborate… but touching a lizard? I don't think I can do that.

I sigh, my eyes scanning around.

There is one ugly creature crawling out of the lake. It looks as a crustaceous, but I'm not sure what kind. Anyway, doesn't this kind of animals live only in the sea?

Doesn't matter, I reach for Chris' shirt. I found it on my way here and picked it up for some unknown reason. Maybe it was destiny!

I throw it over this crab-alike thing, trapping it under the shirt but unable to do anything more. I'm not going to pick it up and risk getting my fingers cut, so I just close my eyes and smash it with a rock.

Killing it… I killed it and I'm not even going to eat it! I mean, I don't know how to start a fire and I will not eat the thing raw

What if I bring it to Chris as a peace offering…?

No, no chances in that!

"Hey" For the second time this day he startles me, but this time I'm able to hide it from him.

I fix my eyes forward, refusing to look at him.

He sits by me side, and because I'm not looking at him he practically shoves a flower in my face.

I back up a little, getting a better look at it. It's an exotic purple flower, never have I seen a similar one. Even while backing up I can feel its fresh scent invading me.

It's beautiful.

"I'm sorry"

Now this really gets my attention, Chris Irvine apologizing to me? I look at him, his blue eyes are staring right into mine and there is a slight pout on his face.

He is exaggerating it… and it's working, damn him.

"I was a bit rough back there, this whole thing got the best of me and I took it on you, friends?"

I snap the flower out of his hand and inhale from it. This can be considered as peace offering, so I reach for the first ever creature I had kill and offer it to him. "Friends"

He unfolds the shirt and takes a look inside. "Aww Steph, you shouldn't have. I love… ok, what is this?"

I smile despite myself. "I have no idea"

He laughs another one of those raspy laughs of his, then, he stands up and offers me his hand so that I can do the same. "Come on, there's a succulent dinner waiting for you"

I wrinkle my nose, but take his hand nonetheless. "Raw lizard?"

"You underestimate me Stephers, I cooked it nicely… told you I didn't watched survivor for nothing. As for the lizard, is not that bad, kind of tastes like chicken"

"Ehhh" I say walking by his side back to the beach. "Just don't tell anybody once we get back, it may damage my reputation if everyone knows I ate such a thing"

He smiles, still holding my hand. I would have preferred to spend the night in a nice hotel room, maybe on a plane on my way home, but if I have to spend it in here, it's better if I spend it with him.

Like I say, there might be worse things than lizards lurking this Island by night, and I wouldn't want to be alone among them.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Here it is, the next installment to the story, hope it doesn't disappoint.

I want to thank PhoenixO'Neil09, DarkZoul, cheryl24, wrasslinlvr20, austrian-wunderkind, HBKloverHBK and dehlia666 for reviewing last chapter! You guys are the best!!

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Darkness is slowly starting to take over this place. It's creeping on us almost unnoticed, a silent predator that will soon swallow us whole into its depth.

I don't like it; I don't like it at all. Because in this island we are trapped in, there is no way to escape it. We can only sit here, waiting for the cold breath of darkness to fall heavily upon us.

Now, I've never been one to fear darkness, not even as a little girl. But at this moment, in this place, I can't help but to feel its impending arrival as a premonition of doom.

Ok… maybe I'm being a little bit over the top here. I mean, it's not like we are going to be in complete darkness. There is a bright full moon shinning from the ski and even more importantly than that, Chris managed to get a fire going.

So not everything is lost; there is a bonfire warming up us and… well, at least Chris is here with me.

But still, we don't know what lurks in the darkness, we are clueless as to what can be found deep into that jungle… or what can find us here.

A chill runs through me and I shake my head lightly; I will not let my imagination run wild. I can't risk losing my sanity; it's the only thing I have left.

I take my eyes away from the delicate purple flower in my hand to look at Chris, my only companion in this nightmare. He is crouching down on the sand, right in front one of the suitcases I rescued from the sea.

"Found anything yet?" I ask taking a furtive glance at the contents in the suitcase. As it turned out, only one of them was his. The other two we can only assume belong… or belonged, to the unfortunate crew members.

The ones that didn't make it off the plane.

He shakes his head without looking at me, his attention focused on what's inside the suitcase.

The other one he already checked, there was nothing in there that we could use to help our 'stay' in this island easier… well, there were some personal effects like soap and other things of the like that we can use in case we run out of ours… but I hope we don't have to reach that point.

Hopefully, we will get rescued first thing in the morning. In the middle of the night sounds even better.

"I guess we can use this" He throws something at me and out of reflexes I catch it in mid air.

It's a towel, a beach towel… very convenient, but I can't help but to feel a pang of guilt to be taking stuff out of these suitcases while their owner's bodies are trapped in the bottom of the ocean.

Somehow it feels wrong.

I open my mouth to say that to Chris, but before any sound could escape my mouth I close it again, I'm just being silly. So instead of speaking my mind I just fold the towel and put it on my lap.

"Bingo! Look what I found" He exclaims and I quickly look up to see what is it.

The surge of hope that sparked in me died as soon as I see what he is holding triumphally in his hands. To be utterly frank, I was hoping for something different, something more useful.

I blink at the sight of it and then fix my eyes on his. He is smirking and his eyes are sparkling mischievously… he can't be serious!

"Chris" I swallow a gasp because… well, because I can't believe he is actually thinking on drinking that. "Unless that's a magic bottle that will spill a motored boat once you open it I'm not really interested"

He laughs, the sound of it disrupting the eerie silence that surrounds us. "Stephers, this is a 2001 Château Léoville-Barton, this is not just wine. This is _the_ wine"

I take my eyes away from the intensity of his blue stare and look back at my flower, enjoying the silky feel of its petals beneath my finger. "I told you already, I'm not interested"

Getting drunk in this place is not on my 'to do list'. Now, surviving the terrors of the night and getting rescued, those are on my list…

The fact that we are still here and no rescue boat had showed up doesn't seem to affect him in the sightless.

He gets up to his feet and walks toward me, sitting by my side once he is close enough. I try to ignore his closeness, but Chris being Chris, he nudges me with his shoulder to get my attention.

"Come on, it will be like a hot date, we have a nice fire going, a beautiful night, a succulent dinner and great wine… the making out is optional"

I shoot him a glare, even when my lips want to curve into a smile.

"What do you say?" He opens the bottle and takes a long sip; he then offers it to me. "It would be a great companion to the meat"

I look at the _meat_; it's still tied up to a stick close to the fire. And it's still the ugliest thing ever; I don't even like looking at it… how am I supposed to eat it?

I shrug casually, trying my best to not lose my cool. I take the bottle in my free hand but refrain from drinking from it, at least for now. "About that, I was thinking that maybe I could cook the crab… and eat it… instead of eating the lizard"

He laughs and I'm oddly entranced by the sound of it. "Stephers, I highly doubt that thing is a crab, and if it is, it definitely mutated by radiation!"

I look up only to find him looking back at me. I was going to say something about how it was impossible for a crab to mutate by radiation in a desert island, but I find myself rendered speechless by those eyes…

And I don't have the heat to blame now… the night turned to get kind of chilly.

"Besides, I looked at it and I'll sadly have to inform you that you basically smashed it into nothing… I don't think that thing is edible"

I take a sip of the damn wine, mentally cursing the moment I chose that airline to flight in. Not only did it crash us here, but now it made me murder that poor thing in vain!

The wine is warm, not entirely unpleasant. I think I'm going to need it, if only to give me the courage to eat that thing… maybe if I think it's chicken.

"Just think its chicken" He says and I back away a little to take a better look at him. He is now wearing a shirt; he put it on when we came back from the lake, probably because of the cold breeze that came with the sunset.

"What did you say?" I ask flatly, watching as he tears a piece of the lizard with his bare hands.

This is weird…

"Maybe if you think its chicken it will help you a little, here" He says and the minute he stops talking he basically shoves a piece of it at my face, brushing it against my lips.

I turn my face to the side, trying not to grimace as I look away.

"Ha! I would never have imagine you were such a baby Stephers" He chuckles, taking the piece into his mouth.

"I am not a baby, I just don't like lizards" And I don't like desert islands…

"Yeah…" He takes the bottle out of my hand and drinks from it. "Baby"

I bit on my lower lip, watching as he tears yet another piece of lizard. This one, he also offers to me. "Come on, you must eat something"

I consider it for a moment… I still have the granola bars, but let's be realistic, as much as I want to get rescued as soon as possible, I don't know how long I'll have to wait here. What if a couple of days pass by and Chris is unable to get food… that would be the ideal moment to use the bars, not now that there is food available.

I close my eyes and take a small bite out of his hand; I chew it and swallow it quickly, trying not to taste it.

Come on Stephanie, think of chicken, this is chicken!

Well, to tell you the truth, it actually tastes like chicken.

"See, it's not that bad"

I open my eyes and look at him. "Not that bad? This is the worst thing I've ever done" And I'm not talking about the taste, it's all about the psychological damage this has caused me!

He smiles, his eyebrow arching a little as he looks back at me. "Somehow, I believe that's highly inaccurate"

This time it's me the one that arches an eyebrow… but I'll let the comment slip away… whatever he meant by that is not as important as taking a sip of that wine to wash the taste of this thing off my mouth.

We go on like this for a few minutes that feel like hours, he takes a bite for him, and then he goes and feed a piece of it to me. We eat in silence, the awkwardness of the situation disappearing slowly.

I mean, the awkwardness still lingers, only that it's more dimly now. After all I am eating out of his hand!

He doesn't seem to mind, and I guess that's part of the camaraderie gained when two people survive a plane crash together…

It's like a newly formed bond, because I never in a million years would have thought he and I would be in this situation.

"Can I ask you something?" He asks after we are done eating.

"What?" I say taking another sip of wine. It will be my last one, because I'm already feeling kind of lightheaded.

"How come Paul was already in South Africa while you struggled to take a plane to that same destination?"

I look at him, he really caught me off guard whit that one. I was expecting something more… Chris.

But I can understand the question, is not like Paul and I have announced to the whole world that we broke up.

I shrug once more. "I wasn't supposed to go there; it was a last minute thing" I could tell him about how I have no life and how when my father asks me to do something I just jump and do it. But of course I don't.

I wonder if dad already knows that my plane crashed.

"Ok" He says, his eyes scanning for mine, kind of like trying to discover a hidden truth.

I take a deep breath and look away from him. "We are not together anymore, so it's not like we share flights… and stuff" I can feel his eyes burning into me and I bit hard on my lips to keep from rambling even more.

"Oh I'm sorry…" He starts to say and I chuckle.

"Don't be. I know I'm not, and Paul certainly isn't" Now why am I telling him this? It has to be this new camaraderie thing… maybe the wine.

"Is not like I'm missing something great, it was a good riddance" God, why can I just keep quiet! I go back to looking at the flower. I had forgotten that I had it in my hand and as I look at it I notice that it's kind of crushed, I try to fix it nicely.

He laughs that laughs of his again and I smile with it… barely suppressing the need to laugh along.

"Finally, a McMahon that sees the light!" He says lifting his arms up into the air.

That does it, I laugh, but only slightly, not the full laugh that wants to escape through my lips. I don't want him to think I'm drunk.

"I could never understand what you saw in that assclown anyways, the man is just mediocre at his best"

"Hmmm, tell me about it" I find myself drinking once again from the bottle, but when I realize what I'm doing I pass it to him.

Did I just say what I think I said?

"That sounds like something I could gossip about, I can see it… confirmed by his wife: Paul, the man who calls himself The Game has actually none of it" He takes the bottle, but he just let it rest on the sand.

"Soon to be ex-wife. Just don't say that you heard it from me"

"I won't, but I think it will be pretty obvious Stephers" He says and I chose that moment to take a look at him.

"Well, as far as I know there are a couple of girls backstage that could confirm it for you"

Crap… it must be the wine… I think I took more than my share. If there was a bed in this damn place, now would be the perfect time for me to retreat there… "Why am I telling you this?" I say in the most casual tone I can muster.

Now he probably thinks I'm pathetic… which is true, because only a pathetic woman could drive a mediocre man to sleep around.

He remains quiet for a while, and I take that moment to look up to the sky. There are like a thousand stars sparkling over there, it's almost breath taking.

"We don't have skies like this back home" He says following my gaze. "I mean we do, but we can't see it like this"

"And even if we could we would be too busy to notice, we let life pass by too quickly" I keep my eyes up to the skies. If I ever make it out of here I'll definitely take indefinite vacations, somewhere far away, maybe Europe.

"I think it's his lost"

I frown, changing my gaze from the infinite skies to the depth of his eyes.

"You are intelligent, beautiful… and sometimes even funny, he won't find the likes of you anywhere"

I quirk my lips and look back to the skies, taking notice of a few black clouds right over us. I can feel that I'm blushing, but I try to let it pass as an effect of the wine running through my veins

"You are just saying that because you want me to have your babies"

That laugh again. "Well, that's only half my reason. The other one is because it's true; have you ever know me for being a liar?"

I smile, still refusing to meet his gaze. "You lied to me when we were in the ocean"

"Moi? I think you are getting delusional Stephers, remind me to keep you away from the sun tomorrow"

"I might be a lot of things Chris, but delusional is not one of them" I say and as if in cue a light drizzle starts to fall upon us.

Just what we needed! Not only are we trapped here, but now it's already nightfall and it's raining!

"On no…" He laughs while getting up to his feet, giving me his hand to help me up too.

This feels like déjà vu, I know I have lived this before.

As we get up, the rain increases in an exaggerated manner that I would think impossible if I wouldn't be on the receiving end of it. In a matter of seconds it extinguished the fire and we are now, as I feared swallowed by the darkness.

Why am I not panicking?

"Wait" I say pulling at his hand to go back and take the flower that I dropped somewhere in the sand. I grab it, taking along with me the towel.

"Come on" He pulls at me and I don't know why he does that, we are already soaked.

But I follow him blindly nonetheless, letting him guide me to a destination unknown.

After a while he stops and before I can lift my head and take a good look around, I feel him pulling me down to the ground.

Once again I do what he urges me to do and I sit down on wet sand and in front of some trees and bushes. His back is to the trunk of it and I lean on him, trying to avoid the rain hitting on me.

"I'm still getting wet" I say pulling closer to him; on my side and right between his legs… talk about awkward.

"Well, it's raining" He takes the towel from me and covers both our heads with it.

It provides half a shelter and complete darkness for us. "I can't believe this" I say while tentatively resting my head against his chest. "This is the worst day ever"

"Come on, it wasn't that bad… yesterday was worst"

Well, he is right.

I feel his chest rising and falling with his breathing, and if I focus a bit more I'm sure I could hear his heart beating.

I chuckle. "Well, it wasn't that bad for a hot date, I've had worse"

"Really? That's just what my ego wanted to hear"

I smile, snuggling even more against him. Like I said earlier, at least I'm here with Chris; I don't think I could make it by myself.

"You know what? If I had my phone right now I would tweet about how I have a soaking Stephanie McMahon snuggling with me at the beach. And I only needed our plane to crash to achieve it"

"I don't think so Casanova… what's a tweet anyway?" I ask, trembling a little by the force of the cold that has taken over us.

How could it be that a place that was hot as hell is now so cold?

"You don't know what's twitter?"

"If you use it then I don't think I want to know" He laughs, rubbing his hands casually against my back. "If I had a phone I would call for help, to whatever is equivalent to the coast guard in here"

"And where would you find the number? I could tweet asking for it"

"Right…" I mumble, not really getting this whole tweeting thing.

"Do you know that we could generate body heat by cuddling naked?"

"Thank you, but I'm not that cold" I say, trying not to make it sound so tempting in my head.

"Oh but you will be"

I snort, closing my eyes and absorbing the body heat that I can get from him while still clothed. His hands rubbing on my back are helping too, but I'm still trembling.

"Hmm, we'll cross that bridge when we get there"

"Can't wait" He laughs and I smile against his chest, letting sleep take over me as the rain continues to fall all around us.

Darkness doesn't feel so menacing right now.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Huge thanks to everyone who read & reviewed last chapter, I really appreciate it! So, I still have doubts about this one, but here it is anyway, hope it doesn't disappoint xD

Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*

If I look into those eyes long enough I could get irreversibly lost… maybe I already am, because there is no other reason to explain why I'm letting him do this…

Because it feels good?

It sure does! And as my body rocks in unison with his, I can't think of any other reason as of why are we doing this.

Maybe I don't need a reason, maybe I should forget about all the things that have sense in this world and just thrive in pure feeling; maybe I should just let myself be carried away in this, by him.

Chris… I breathe on him, getting drunk in his touch, feeling his warm lips on mine, loving how he is parting his way into me.

I close my eyes, allowing a huge wave of sweet sensation to take over my whole existence, letting him take all of me…

I'm helpless to do anything else.

But even with my eyes closed, I can still feel the intensity of his blue stare piercing through me, delving deep inside as the need in me grows stronger, almost insatiable.

How did we end up like this? What cosmic event prompted us to give in into this? Does it matters?

Right now it doesn't, at least not to me. The only thing that matters in this moment is the way he feels against me, within me; the way my body is accepting him without restriction.

A soft moan escapes me as his lips descend from my lips and down my neck, kissing and nipping, tracing a hot path of fire that burns all the way to my toes…

This feels heavenly; there is no turning back from this. My mind screams that it was about time, that it was always meant to be, that it was only a matter of time and the right circumstances.

But then again, I can't think on the circumstances we are in… I can't think straight… I can just feel.

And I like what I feel.

His rhythm never falters, and before I can fully realize it, I find myself wrapping my legs around his waist, urging him to go deeper, begging him not to stop.

I don't want this to stop…

"Chris" I moan, snuggling against his chest…

"Hmmm?" He mumbles, still sleepy.

Startled, I open my eyes abruptly. There is only darkness around me; I just see a whole lot of black, not blue… not the blue pools that entranced me…

I blink a couple of times, realizing that Chris is not on top of me… and he's definitely not 'inside' of me.

He's sitting, his back to a tree and his arm lazily wrapped around my waist.

What…?

Not only that, but I'm not wrapping anything around him… definitely not my legs. I'm just resting against him, and even when our bodies are having full contact, it's not the kind of contact that I thought we were having.

I mean, we are fully clothed!

"Oh my God!" I exclaim horrified, backing away from him and taking off the towel that was covering us. He's there, newly revealed to be just sleeping.

"Oh God…" I throw the tower away, watching as he slowly opens his eyes to look down on me with those mesmerizing blue of his.

_If I look into those eyes long enough I could get irreversibly lost…_

"Oh God no…" I whisper, covering my face with my hand so that he won't be able to see my shame. I can feel my cheeks burning and my heart dropping all the way to my gut.

What is wrong with me!

"What is it?" He asks, his voice slightly groggy from sleep.

I shake my head, still hiding my face from him. "I…" I am speechless, unable to believe what just happened… or what didn't happen!

Oh my God… I'm such a sick pervert!

Does he know?

Can he tell?

He'll find out! He'll smell it out of me, he'll read it from my eyes… oh my God!

I turn around, and on my hands I knees I crawl a few steps away from him. I don't know what to do! I need to get away… but where? We are still in this damn Island and there is no way I can run from him.

I'm trapped here, with him and the memory of something that didn't happen…

I want to dig a hole and bury myself in it, or maybe I could drown myself in the ocean… let the current wash away whatever it is that I'm feeling.

"Stephers, are you all right?"

I hear him, but I refuse to look back to him; the concern in his voice only adds more fuel to my mortification.

"Fine… I just… I need water" Yes, water… I need to freshen up.

I get up and with clumsy steps I walk to the shore. Once I get there I keep walking until the water is up to my knees, only then I allow myself to sit… yes, I sit right there, hoping that the cold water that is now embracing me will help me cool me off.

I can't believe this!

What was that anyway? Is not like me to have those kind of dreams… and definitely not with someone I work with, not with Chris!

I splash water to my face, whishing that I could just disappear off this island… why can a helicopter show up and get us out of here, like right now?

I need to get out… the sooner the better.

I run my cold hands down my neck, unable to stop reliving everything back. It all felt so real; I can even feel the phantom of his lips on my skin…

God, this is wrong in so many levels.

It had to be the blow to the head… no doubt about it. It caused me brain damage and this is one of its many consequences…

But I can fight it off; I just need to ban _that, _to ban him from my mind. After all it wasn't real; it was just my wrecked subconscious speaking volumes. Stupid subconscious! Stupid, stupid…

"Steph"

No, no, no… stay away!

I close my eyes as I hear him approach. Why couldn't he stay back there, sleeping? Why doesn't he leave me alone?

I don't want to face him right now, not when my mind is in the gutter.

"Hey, are you ok?"

He's right here with me, kneeling in front of me… I can feel him because he's touching me, forcing my head up with a lone finger under my chin so that he can take a look at my distressed face.

Why is this happening to me? I'm not a bad person… I work really hard and I've paid my dues to be where I am today… well, not where I'm physically but where I am…

Great, now I'm rambling to myself!

This is really messed up… I don't even have the guts to look at him… how could I? What if he sees in my eyes what I had in my mind?

"Stephanie, look at me" His voice is so very soft… he could talk me into anything… but not to look at him, I can't.

I shake my head, that's the only response I can offer him right now.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

A nightmare? I almost chuckle, almost… I don't.

I shake my head again. "Yes"

It was far from a nightmare, nightmares don't tend to be so pleasantly… pleasant.

"Well did you, or didn't you?" His hands are now on my hair… is it really necessary that he touches me? He never has, why now?

"I don't know" I admit in defeat, covering once again my face into my hands. I don't know anything, I can't think straight, not when he is so close to me, so very close…

"This is so embarrassing" I mumble… but no, this is more than embarrassing! It's downright mortifying!

I need to get out of here.

Gently, he takes my hands off my face, holding them in his while I sit here, still unable to look at him.

"You don't have to be embarrassed Steph, after what happened… it's pretty much normal that you are having dreams about it" He remains silent for a while. "You can say that it was a very traumatic event…"

I venture to look at him. His blue eyes, just as they were in my dream, are delving deep into mine… "Really?" I ask in a soft whisper, not really sure what is he talking about… or even what I'm asking him.

And I don't really care… he does have a pair of beautiful eyes, they are the color of the ocean in broad daylight… and those lips, he has kissable lips… for a moment I have to fight the urge the lean into him and check if they feel as good as they did in my dream…

I bet they are better in reality.

He chuckles lightly, reassuringly. "Of course it is" He slides one of his fingers down my check, a slight caress that sends a small shiver to run down my spine. "Was it about the plane?"

"What plane?" I ask stupidly, looking straight into his blue stare.

He frowns, his eyes fixing on me for a moment, he looks a bit puzzled. "Are you sure you are ok?"

I shake my head to brush those thoughts away, feeling as my cheeks starts to burn anew. I need to go back to reality before I make a fool out of myself… I mean, more than I already have.

"Yes… it was about the plane… crashing… here" I look away from him, afraid that he will find the truth in my eyes. That he would notice the turmoil that he has caused to boil inside of me.

So far he is oblivious to what's really happening inside my sick mind, and I'm going to do all that is in my power to keep it that way.

He doesn't need to know.

I don't have to tell him.

By the time the sun appears in the horizon I bet I'll be able to dismiss all of this as a mere weird dream, a dream caused by circumstances out of the ordinary… and some wine.

By morning this won't matter, maybe I'll even laugh about it and he'll think I'm crazy because he won't know what I'm laughing about…

His fingers move from my check to the back of my neck, holding my head in place so that I have no choice but to look up to him.

For the longest second of my life I think I'm going to freak out… but of course I don't, I just stare at him.

"It's over now; you don't need to worry about it"

"I know… it's over"

He smiles and I just keep staring. "Well, then why don't we go back there and try to sleep some more?"

"NO!" I scream and I can see from the look on his face that I surprised him. "No…" I say, more softly this time and with a nervous laugh as companion. "You go and sleep. I'll stay here" Cooling off…

God, this is really embarrassing.

"I'm not going to leave you here Stephers"

"I'll be fine, I just can't go back there with you… I mean, I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep" At least not close to him… "And look at me, I'm all wet… I can't sleep like this"

He chuckles. "Stephers, we are both soaking wet… just like we were when we went to sleep. I don't remember you complaining about it then"

I blink, not knowing what to say.

"But if it really bothers you, you can always change, it's not like we don't have dry clothes back there"

"Right" There is no excuse for me to stay here, even when I want to.

I mean really, do I have any choice in the matter? Of course I do, he's not the boss of me, and if I want to stay here, here I should stay!

"Come on" He places both his hands on my waist and puts me up to my feet. Effortlessly… and I just let him, walking with him back to the beach even when I don't want to.

He puts one of his arms around my shoulders, pulling me a bit closer to him, as if he and I were buddies… or something like that.

"You don't have a thing to worry about now, I'll make sure that your dreams won't be haunted again, I'll keep one eye open just for you"

I nod, he might keep an eye open, but I'm pretty sure I will have both of them wide open; as there is no chance in hell that I'll be able to go back to sleep tonight.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

One again, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I love, love, love reading what you think of this, after all I started this one a little bit unsure and I'm glad you guys are liking it! Now, I'm not too happy with this one, I think it came out like a huge ramble, but I promise the next one will be better! O_o

Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There are some things you can't run away from, and being in this Island, it's very hard to run away from Chris… I mean, we are trapped here and there are not many places to go… unless I decide to swim my way out.

So maybe I can't run from him, but I spent the entire morning trying to avoid him.

It wasn't so difficult at first; all I needed to do was disappear for a while into the land of the lizards and make some time there. Yes, I went deep inside that mysterious jungle for a second time and made it out alive to tell my story.

Now that I come to think of it, it wasn't so bad… you just need to ignore the creepy silence that reigns in there and the camouflaged lizards that are all over the place and that's it… with my mind in the gutter like it was that wasn't so hard to achieve.

While I was there, I collected a nice variety of fruit, I refilled the wine bottle with fresh water and then I took a long and refreshing bath in the lake.

I even found some aloe leaves that I plan to use to sooth my sunburned skin. I know I can do wonders with it and my skin will be forever thankful.

Well, those trivial things entertained me only for a short period of time; somewhere along the way I ran out of things to do.

So that was it, it was time for me to go back and face my demons… well, not my demons, just Chris.

I dreaded going back to the beach where I knew he was without a doubt looking like a man taken out of any women's wet dream. But I had to do it; I just couldn't remain forever in there… hiding, as much as I wanted to.

Anyway, the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that I was being silly. I'm Stephanie McMahon and I don't hide away from anybody… less if it's the phantom of a dream the thing to hide away from.

And it was only Chris for crying out loud, that I had a dream of that nature about him was circumstantial… the island put those thoughts in my head.

So, determined to put that little episode of temporary insanity behind, I made my way back to the beach, ready to face my shame only to find out that Chris haven't even noticed my absence. He was too busy trying to build some kind of shelter for us to spend the night in.

So there I was, hiding from something he wasn't even aware of, something that wasn't even real, while he attempted to prepare for another night here.

So not only was I acting cowardly, I was also acting selfishly. Those are two traits I hate in a person and I refuse to act on them.

So I ended up helping him, memories of the dream slowly fading away as I occupied my mind with his little project. It was hard at first, I mean, with him being so close to remind me of it. But as time passed by I learnt how to push it out of my mind.

I pushed it and I pushed it and at the end I managed to turn it into a blurry thing in the back of my mind…

As we worked together, I was able to break free of any reminder of that shameful dream.

The shelter ended looking as the ugliest rustic thing I've ever laid my eyes on. There is one thing for sure, Chris and I, we are no engineers, crafts is not our strong point.

We used everything we could get our hands on; leaves, bamboo, clothes… we even used some duct tape Chris found in one of the suitcases. The result was not very pretty.

So it's ugly, but I guess it will be good enough to guard us from the rain if there is more. I mean, it has a roof… or something like it.

Chris said it himself, necessity is the mother of invention; at least it seems strong enough not to be blown away with the wind.

Frankly, I hope we don't have to use it; because I hope that today is the day we finally get out of this God forsaken Island for good.

But in the devastating case that we don't, at least we have somewhere to pass the night in, we'll have Chris shelter, or as likes to call it, Jericho's casa.

Now, apart from its appearance, there is one thing I don't like about this _casa_ of his; it doesn't have enough room… I don't think I'll be able to sleep without making any kind of body contact with him!

Marvelous… just what I needed.

I know I said the dream was a blurry thing in the back of my mind, but I don't want to repeat a situation where my perverted subconscious starts playing tricks on me… and with him sleeping so close I'm not sure what can happen.

If I get another one of those dreams I could end up saying something inappropriate, maybe I'll even do something and he will find out. God knows that I almost screwed up last night.

You know what… this is really messed up! My life has turned to be the kind of tragedy that would come looking as utterly ridiculous… it's almost a bad comedy.

And why am I putting so much attention to this dream? I mean, the plane I was in crashed in the middle of nowhere, I saw a woman get sucked out of that same plane and now I'm lost in a deserted Island; and yet, my mind keeps wandering back to him, to that pointless dream!

Gosh! It was just a dream, it was not real. I should be able to forget it… so why I can't! I'm such a messed up cookie… only that I'm not at fault for it; I blame this damn Island and the fact that we haven't been rescued yet!

Why haven't we been rescued yet?

By now word had to go out that our plane never reached its destination, and don't planes and private jets have radars or something? Someone had to notice we just disappeared in mid air… and the families of the crew members' had to give notice by now.

Not to say our families, I know mine have to be out of their minds.

So why is it that no one has come our way to rescue us? Oh My God! what if they already left us for dead? What if this Island, like the one from Lost is not even on the map? We will forever be in this Island and before we know it we will be battling polar bears and smoke monsters…

This has to be a bad dream.

Before I have enough time to panic, I see Chris making his way to where I sit. I take a deep breath, trying to regain my self control before he makes it all the way to me.

He has been out in the ocean trying once again to get some fishes with the lance he made the other day. That he is empty handed tells me that he didn't have much luck today either.

Before he reaches me, I take one aloe leaf and start to peel it; I don't want him to know that I've been sitting here doing nothing productive.

"You know, this Bear Grylls make it look so easy on TV but I'll tell you something, it isn't. Fishes are sneaky and that makes me conclude that his show is staged. Do you think that's his real name? I mean, a guy named Bear… Bear Grylls that ended up doing a program called Man vs. Wild" He says with a chuckle as he sits by my side.

I venture to take a look at him, he is shirtless, soaked to the bone and looking very much like a dream come true… Now, I don't know if I should blame the dream for that thought but… well, it's true!

God, I really need to get a grip… I sigh, putting the sticky aloe leaf down and looking out to the sea, there is no rescue boat that I can see.

"Why haven't we been rescued yet?" That's the thought of the day… I fear that if we don't get rescued soon I might lose my mind in this Island.

"I don't know…" He puts the lance down and for a moment we both remain sitting here in silence.

This is beyond bad; this is the worst case scenario I can wrap my mind into. I try to remember how long does it takes for rescue teams to give up on their search for survivals… I guess it all depends on the insistence of the family. I know daddy can be pushy; he probably has his own team looking for us.

So then again, why are we still here?

"I guess they are searching the wrong place, but they will eventually find their way here"

"Eventually sounds too vague… if they don't come here before nightfall I think I'll go crazy" They can spend forever looking for us, the open sea is immense… and the plane got completely swallowed by it.

"No you won't, I'll keep you sane"

I snort, if he only knew that he is unknowingly contributing for my fast downfall towards insanity. "I wish you could…"

"I could, you just need to let me"

I look at him, he is staring right at me… once again the intensity of his blue eyes focus completely on mine. That he looks at me that way is the main reason I had that dream last night… I wish he would stop doing it.

"I mean, it would be no good to my own sanity having a crazy woman roaming around… I will have no choice but to join you on your loony activities, by the time they find us we will be completely out of our minds, climbing trees and eating raw lizards"

I laugh, Chris is the silliest, I see that not much has changed over the years. "Then we are not too far from it, I bet I already look the part"

"Not at all, I think you are the epiphany of what women stranded on deserted islands should look like" He is smiling, his eyes shining as he looks at me.

"Do you mean they should all look like lobster? God this is awful" I look awful!

"You don't look like a lobster, I prefer the term kissed by the sun… and come on, it can be so awful if you had time to wash your hair"

I watch as if in a trance as he lifts a hand to touch my hair… swirling it around his fingers. I can only watch as he does this, because my body is not cooperating right now, nor is my voice. "Don't try to deny it, I know your little secret"

For a moment here I panic. I knew this moment was going to come; I was too obvious, I probably said something last night that gave it all away… God why the punishment? "What secret?" I manage to mumble.

"Don't try to act all innocent on me Stephers, I know that you sneaked out on me to take a bath, I could smell it from a mile, sweet aroma of shampoo and soap"

I laugh out loud at my own stupidity. For a moment I thought he was talking about the dream… I mean, it was stupid of my part because there is no reason he should know about it. And he can't say I'm acting strange because he doesn't know what is normal for me these days. "Well, you got me"

He just gives that look again and I'm unable to look away. "You know, you should laugh more often, I thought you lost the ability a long time ago"

I shrug and bite at my lower lip. "Well, I obviously didn't" Or did I?

"That's good to know"

I break away from his stare, looking once again to the horizon.

"So, what's that for?" He takes the aloe in his hand, making a grimace of disgust as he touches it. I see it all with the corner of my eye and I can't help but to smile at the look on his face.

"That's an aloe leaf; it's the greatest thing to treat a sunburned skin. It looks gross, but it stops the burning feeling and it will prevent your skin to peel off"

"Really?" He asks giving it another look and smelling it.

"Really"

"So you just put it on your skin?"

I nod, chuckling at the way he is looking at it.

"Then put it on my back, if someone looks like a lobster it's me, I can't even put on a shirt without it bothering me"

He moves from his position at my side and sits right in front of me, waiting for me to put the sticky substance all over his back!

How am I supposed to do that without touching him, because I don't want to touch him…

"You are all wet… it won't work like this"

I watch as he reaches for a shirt that was inconveniently lying around to give it to me. "It better works Stephers, because I will never trust you to spread any sticky thing on me if it doesn't"

I take the shirt and begin to dry his back, once it's done I take a good amount of aloe in my hand and begin to apply it on his skin.

He's hot, I mean literally. I guess it's the sun. "Well, I've never try it like this, I usually buy it bottled up, put it in my fridge and then use at discretion"

"Cold?"

"Yup" I say and for a while I say no more, neither does he. I just cover his back nicely, kind of enjoying the smoothness of his skin beneath my hands.

This is so going to haunt me, I don't think I'll even try to sleep… and I do I will do it outside, far from him.

"You know what can pick up your mood?"

"Besides getting off this Island?" I stop working on his back, wiping the remains of the aloe on the shirt he gave me awhile ago. "That's it, nice and sticky"

He chuckles. "You could go with me and assist me in catching dinner, there is nothing like blood and gore to make you feel better"

"Ehhh" Well, it may work… not! "Ok… but don't expect me to like it… or even watch, the minute you go for the kill I'll probably close my eyes"

"That's fine by me, you could be there only as eye candy" He stands up and turns around, offering me a hand up.

I take it, and once I'm up he doesn't let go of my hand. I tilt my head, watching him as he watches me.

"Can I tell you a secret?" He leans into me, his voice so low I can barely hear it. "This thing on my back is the most disgusting thing ever, and I don't think its fair I don't get to put some on you"

As if… "Well, life is not fair"

TBC!!

Lol, sorry to leave it there! BTW, Luanne & Kyara! I put the duct tape in there just for you, not as you wanted to but… hehe


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews, loved them as always! So I was in a very silly mood and wrote this, hope you enjoy!! Once again, a huge ramble! Lol

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"Chris…" I whisper as I take one step further.

I can't see anything but him, so I rest my hands against the naked and very sticky skin of his back for some support, using him as my own personal shield in case something goes very wrong.

I'm very close to him, so close that I can even smell the fresh scent of the aloe I just plastered him with; so close that if I take one more step forward, I will get that same aloe all over me.

"What is it Stephers?" He whispers back to me, but his eyesight remains ahead, fixed on his prey.

"Why don't we look for some lizards instead? There are like a thousand in here" And as far as I'm concern, lizards are harmless. Yes they are ugly and green and… evil, but they are harmless.

At least I've never heard of a case where a lizard attacks a human being… but then again I've never heard of a pig attacking one neither. Babe never did…

"Why, all of a sudden you like lizards? Last night you weren't so eager to eat one"

He takes another step and I follow him, my hands still glued to his back.

This may sound silly on my part, but I really have a bad feeling about this, it has been in my gut since the moment Chris spotted in the jungle what he wants our dinner to be tonight.

"Well, that was last night and today is today… besides I'm a woman and I have the right to change my mind at convenience" And tonight, under the circumstances, lizard doesn't sound so bad.

"Ha, and who gave you that right?" I feel the muscles of his back rippling under my touch, his body moving stealthily as he advances forward.

I shrug, even when I know he can't see me. "I think it's in the Constitution" So… it's the first thing that came into my mind…

He chuckles, continuing our secretive tones. "You know, I'd be lying if I say I read the Constitution, but I highly doubt that's written there"

"It is, my mom told me so" I slid my hands over his back, maybe it came as an unplanned little touch, I could have tripped and my hands slipped… but it was pretty much deliberate. I just wanted to feel the difference between doing that while he was in movement vs. him just sitting still.

"Ah, then it must be true… forgive my ignorance, I'm Canadian and uninstructed in womanly rights"

He says that but he is still going forward, not back. I don't want to go forward! And I don't have to, I can just walk back to the beach and wait until he comes all wounded and empty handed…

"Chris…"

"Just imagine it Stephers, roasted pork, bacon, ham… I can even taste it, can't you?"

I have to admit that it does sound pretty good, but don't you have to be like a butcher or something to make all that stuff? I know he is no butcher and he only has that damn stick he likes to call lance!

I don't want to watch this, it will be a massacre and I don't think Chris will be on the winning side… I mean, that pig is huge; like really, really huge.

And how in the blue hell did a pig ended up in a deserted island? That thing has to be all savage and unfriendly.

And I just don't want to eat it! That thing looks like it could have _us_ or dinner…

Why does he has to be so headstrong?"

"So how do you plan to kill it anyway? Are you going to beat him senseless with that thing or are you going to make him submit with a Walls of Jericho?"

He turns a little to the side, probably trying to get a look at me. "You are not being helpful here Stephers"

Now that he moved a bit to the side, I once again am able to take a look at the animal. It's still resting between some bushes, unaware that we are here, in his domain planning on eating him tonight.

The more I look at it the less I like. It doesn't look like a regular pig, and while Chris might take him down while it sleeps, I still don't like it.

"Let's just go back to the beach" I could go by myself, but I want him to come with me. How am I going to explain his family that he survived a plane crash but got killed by a pig in a deserted island?

There's that and the fact that I don't want him to get hurt.

"It's just a pigski, and it will be great for breakfast"

I watch in stupefaction as Chris' pig opened its eyes to stare right back at me. If I didn't like him while it slept imagine how I feel now that I see him awake.

It's not a pretty sight.

"Chris…" I move my hand from his back and grab his arm, all of this I do as I see the heinous creature get on its little chubby feet.

Chris is unaware of all of this, I can hear him talking about food, lizards and pigs but I can't understand a word he is saying. I'm just focused on the pig and the way he is growling at us…

Yes, the pig is growling like a dog with rabies, baring its pointy yellow teeth at us.

Now, I predict things to start getting a little bit weird.

I'm about to warn Chris about what is going on but I don't have to; he hears it and all of a sudden he closes him mouth to look back at the no so sleepy pigski…

"Fuck"

Ditto

That's when our dinner starts to run towards us… and when we begin to run from it.

You know, running barefoot on a jungle while a savage pig is on your tail is not one of the things I expected from life; and if would have, I wouldn't have imagine it to be on a deserted Island.

But that's life, always ready to give you more that what you bargained for… you only have to smile and receive what it's served to you.

So I run, getting all kind of unknown stuff encrusting into my feet and having a whole lot of branches hitting me in the face.

I don't care though; all I care is that there is a pig giving us pursuit!

A freaking pig! The only thing that can make this worse is if it starts to rain… but that already happened and I don't think life likes to repeat its wicked little games.

It likes to make new ones, like this one… and ending our road.

I make an abrupt stop because I ran out of road to flee; the only thing right in front of me is the end of the road, and at the bottom of it the lake. Now, I can jump in or wait for the pig to…

I gasp, closing my eyes as Chris pushes me into the water. It's not very height, but the fall sure fell like forever and a day, and when I finally reached the water and swam to the surface, the only thing I can think of is that the pig could also jump in.

What would we do if it does?

I rub the water out of my eyes and take a look around, I can see Chris breaking to the surface but there is no pig… I don't think it jumped in.

Well, thank God for small favors…

I try to reach the bottom but I come up short, so I just float here, waiting for the beating of my heart to go back to normal.

It feels like it's about to break free and off my chest.

I blink, looking up to see if that evil creature is still there. I don't see it, so I venture to take a look at Chris right when he fixes his eyes on me. Then he starts to laugh.

I watch him perplexed, I can't believe him! This was his entire fault and now he laughs about it?

Argh! I splash some water to his face. "That was not funny Chris" I exclaim but I have to admit that it was… well, kind of. I turn, shaking my head in denial because, well, this is all surreal.

"Common Stephers, where is your sense of humor? This is the kind of stuff that will sell the tickets for our movie; we can even win an MTV movie award for best awkward scene"

"You mean like you want to share this with the world, let them all know that we got chased by a wild pig?"

"Well yeah! It will add nicely to my list of things I did before I died"

I splash more water to him, closing my eyes when I feel a huge amount of water all around me.

"Chris!" I protest, trying my best to cover myself without drowning. It's kind of difficult because he is not giving me any break whatsoever, he just keeps splashing water my way!

So juvenile, I just got a few drops on him and he does this?

I turn my back to him, but that is of no help, it only makes him to swim towards me; and then, from his place right behind me, he keeps on with his attack, circling me with his arms to get better access to my face.

"Chris!!" It's another protest, but by opening my mouth I only get to drink a few mouthfuls of water.

So I turn again, resting my forehead against his chest because this way he can't keep on with his stupid game without splashing water onto himself too.

And it works…

"Ok, ok. I'll be good, I promise"

I can't look at his face to see if he is lying or no, but I have no choice but to trust him in this. So I back away from him and see that he's keeping up to his word, no more splashing.

"Argh I hate you" I say, rubbing my eyes because the water in them is bugging me, and while I do this I feel his hands grabbing my waist underwater to keep me afloat, against him.

"No you don't, you love me because you know that no one else is going to feed you and build you shelters like I do"

I feel a shiver run all the way from my head to my toes, I'm even afraid that I'll get electrocuted with the electricity he passed to me! I mean, he is so close and his voice is so mellow and just so… so…

"You mean in this Island on in general?" My voice came up all right, I'm really proud that I didn't stutter.

He tightens his hold on me, pulling me even closer to him and giving me no other choice but to rest my hands against his chest.

I look up at him, ready to tell him something about letting me go… but I can't really remember what I was about to say. I just stare at him like an idiot, caught off guard by the way his cobalt blue eyes dig into mine.

The way my body mends perfectly into his is not helping my case either…

"Steph…" He whispers, so very softly… "I really want to kiss you right now"

I feel my eyes grow ten times their size in my face, is he serious? He has to be kidding because I don't see any reason why he would want to kiss me! I mean, I'm not even his type! I've seen his type, they are blonde and skinny and pretty… I am just not like any of them!

But that doesn't stop him from doing it, he slowly leans into me, and when he is close enough so I can feel his breath brushing against my face he just presses his lips to mine.

Just like that! And just like that I close my eyes and accept his kiss.

His lips are pleasantly soft, I get to enjoy how they feel because for a while he just lingers there, probably waiting for me to pull back and slap the taste out of his mouth… and by God that's what I should be doing!

I mean, there is a reason why I try not to mingle with these guys, and there is even a stronger reason why I don't kiss them.

But all reason flies out of my mind when I feel his tongue seeking entrance, and I must really be out of my mind because I grant it to him; welcoming him pass my lips so that he can slowly explore me thoroughly.

The bolt of electricity that I felt earlier is nothing compare to this… hell, the dream that I had last night, nothing.

Having him holding me close to him as he kisses me senseless beats all those things and more. I am truly helpless; I can't do anything but kiss him back.

And I'll be damn but it feels wonderful, like it was meant to be.

I wrap my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss and pulling him closer, and as if that wasn't enough my legs go to wrap around his middle… what kind of a pervert am I?

I feel like I'm acting out of that damn but exquisite dream.

Ah! But who cares when one of his hands is roaming along my back, sneaking underneath my shirt for a more intimate contact while the other locks at the back of my head, holding me in place and against him. Who cares when he feels so good?

His touch is setting me on fire and not even the water all around me can extinguish the sensations he is provoking.

His lips move away from mine, sliding their way down to my neck to continue with this sweet torture of his…

I bite down a moan… and that's when it hits me! What the hell am I doing?

I push away from him, shaking my head in denial as if I couldn't believe what I just did… and I can't!

I open my mouth to speak up my mind, but the words won't get pass my throat.

"Steph…"

I motion him with my hand to shut his mouth, then I place my fist against my forehead, closing my eyes and trying to organize my thoughts. God I'm so stupid!

"Hey…" His hands find their way back to my waist, pulling me back to him so that I'm once again under his mercy. "Look at me Stephers"

I shake my head. "I'm going to go now" But where the hell am I supposed to go, like really? There is nowhere to go!

But that doesn't matter; I just push away from him once again and swim my way out, ignoring his calls on me.

I need some alone time to think and I can't do it while he looks at me with those tantalizing eyes of his.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Huge thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, I'm ecstatic to know that you are enjoying this! So thanks and enjoy =)

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It can take thousands of years for plastic to degrade. I read that in a random magazine I picked in some nameless airport, one of the many I've been. It has something to do with the molecular bonds that compose it; they are extremely durable and thus make the natural process of degradation a very slow one.

With that little fact in my head, I just can't toss aside the wrappers of the granola bars I just ate and forget about them… I mean, this island has screwed me over big time, but that doesn't mean I have to pollute it for a partial eternity.

And what if the wind blows them to the ocean? That would be worse for the marine wildlife. I read that too.

As if running on autopilot, I fold the plastic wrappers to their minimum and pinch them with the waistband of my shorts; later on I will put them in my suitcase so when I get out of here I'll take them with me and dispose them properly.

The moment I get out of here… I sigh, hoping that moment will arrive soon.

But as much as it pains me to admit it, I don't see it happening any time soon. My heart refuses to acknowledge it, but my brain is starting to accept it. With each passing second, I see the possibility of spotting a rescue boat far in the horizon very dim.

It could take several days for us to be rescued, maybe even weeks! That's if they come at all, for all I know they have already given us for dead.

And that only means that I'll be trapped here, with him for an undetermined period of time, maybe we'll be here for the rest of our lives. So somewhere, sometime along that time I will have to face him.

I will have to face the consequences of it all.

But now is not the moment, it's all too fresh in my mind and I haven't had the time to analyze it over. Right now my head is a mess of thoughts and sensations and I need to put them all apart and come with a better understanding of what the hell happened back there.

I mean, I know what happened; Chris kissed me and I kissed him back… the part that is kind of blurry is how we got to that particular moment, how _he_ got me to that particular moment and how he got me to react to him the way I did.

Maybe it was a thing of the moment, a cosmic event gone wrong and never bound to happen again. I don't want it to happen again.

And it's not like I didn't like it, the problem lies in the fact that I liked it a bit too much. And why shouldn't I? Chris is a very attractive man, is not like I'm blind or something… I just, I don't need this in my life right now, and when I say my life I mean my life outside this Island of doom, I'm talking about my other life, the real one.

He shouldn't have kissed me…

As I sit here, contemplating the immense ocean extending before me and going over the events of the afternoon on my mind, I hear some movement behind me. The sound is barely perceptive, but in the silence that takes over this place is not hard to get the most minimal sound.

I don't have to take a look to know that it's him.

I remain as I was before I knew he was near, my gaze fixed forward and my head held high, I do that even when he sits at my side.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks and I can see with the corner of my eye that he is staring at me.

"There's nothing to talk about, we should just forget about it" My tone is cold and distant, and I wonder if I might be overreacting here. After all it was only a kiss, I've kissed guys before, and never have I reacted like this.

I hear him chuckle. "Forget about it?" For a while he doesn't speak, and I have to fight the urge to turn my face to the side and take a look at his face.

But I don't, no, no, no… not me.

"I don't think I'll be able to forget it Stephers, and if I can be frank with you I don't think you will either"

"It was only a kiss; a kiss that I might add was way out of line. I'm sure I'll be able to forget it very soon" Now I'm blatantly lying, because I'm sure that I'll have it replaying in my mind for a long time to come. "In fact, I already did!"

He chuckles again and I curse him in my mind. "Right, did you forget as well how you responded to that uncalled kiss?" He takes my chin in his hand and forces me to look at his face… to his eyes. I double curse him now. "Because I haven't"

His face is so very close to mine that I can even feel his soft breathing caressing my lips, if I lean a few inches I know I'll be able to touch his lips with mine.

For a moment I think I lost my ability to speak. But I recover quickly, lifting an eyebrow and quirking my mouth a bit, challenging him with my cold stare because I'll be damned if I let him know how he is affecting me right now.

"Well, despite popular believe I'm not made out of stone nor ice, so if someone kisses me while my mind is not in the right place of course I'm going to react to it"

That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever said, its complete bull. I don't think I would react to anyone as I reacted to him… I know I would have slapped the taste out of their mouth before they even lay their lips on mine.

But he doesn't know that, does he?

He just stares at me, his deep blue eyes scanning my face… is he trying to tear the truth out of me? I hope he isn't, but just in case I set my face to look indifferent, this is a look that I have perfected over the years.

His eyes are settled on mine, digging for hidden truths that I don't want him to discover. This can't be good, having those eyes looking at me from such a short distance gives the phrase of 'getting lost into his eyes' a whole new perspective.

I feel like I'm staring into the blue, and if I don't break away now I'll be pulled in and never allowed to let go. But before I can yield under those eyes and look away he lowers his gaze to my lips.

Now, I hope he's not going to kiss me again because I don't think I'll be able to stand up against him, not after I tasted how good he can be. If he kisses me again I'll have no choice but to give in.

Is that really a bad thing?

See, I blame this damn Island, because I never had this kind of thoughts about Chris before getting here, and I'm pretty much sure he never had these kissing thoughts about me either. So maybe we are both getting screwed here.

"I know you are not made out of stone, so why do you insist on acting like you are?"

I fix him with a glare, shooting daggers at him. Who the hell does he think he is? I need to remind myself why I should not let him lure him with his eyes and his sweet kisses.

"You know what?" I…" Before I can go on he releases my chin and stands up.

"I'll fix something to eat, be free to join whenever you like" With that he's gone.

Just like that, leaving me with the word in the tip of my tongue!

Why do I feel the urge of going after him and argue? I know I shouldn't, what I need to do is leave this were it is and forget it ever happened. Let him have his dinner alone, I already ate.

For the longest time I stay here, deep in my thoughts and watching the sky turn from blue to gray as the days goes by. I really hope it doesn't rain, because I'm planning on spending the night here in the open. There is no way I'll get into that casa of his with him.

Not after what happened in the lake; it was without having him kiss me and I ended up having that dream last night… imagine what could happen now.

No, I can't risk it.

I venture to take a look at him, he's sitting in front of the fire he made a while ago; maybe he's cooking his dinner, maybe he is eating it, I'm not sure… the thing is that he looks warm while I'm here in the cold.

And all that because of what, a kiss? I'm willing to spend the night out in the cold open after having as dinner two granola bars just because he kissed me and I liked it?

I'm being unreasonable and I'm not an unreasonable person.

Besides, I collaborated in the making of that shelter; there is no reason why I should have to sleep out here. Before I can change my mind, I get up and make my way straight to it, very aware that he is looking at me.

But I keep all that out of my mind, I just walk to it and get in, maybe if I fall asleep before he gets in I'll be able to block all kind of dreams out.

If not at least it will be nice to sleep in a dry place for a change.

I lay in a corner, the closest I can get to the wall the better, that way there is less chance that we make body contact later on, and who knows, maybe I'll be in such a deep sleep that I won't even notice if we do.

Yes, that can work.

Only that a long time passes by and I just lay wide awake. I can't seem to fall asleep, and the harder I try the more frustrated I get.

It's just too cold in here, the towel I'm using as a blanket doesn't provide enough warmth. I consider going out and look for an extra shirt in my suitcase, but before I can decide on it I hear some rain thundering down… yes, I hear it and it's very loud. I can only imagine that there's a lot of it.

"This is ricockulous!" Chris enters the shelter, it might be that I can't see him, but I can hear him very well. "Does it really haves to rain in this damn place every night?"

I stay immobile; maybe he'll think I'm already asleep and I won't have to talk to him…

There is some movement behind me as he gets comfortable… and through all of this I don't move an inch.

Did it start raining before he got his chance to eat? For some reason I feel very guilty of eating the two granola bars when it was not strictly necessary.

But what do I know; he probably ate already and way better than me.

He settles down, his side slightly brushing against me, nothing too grave if you ask me. Nothing that will prompt me to have weird dreams.

I bit hard on my lips and my body tenses, but it's not because of Chris, it's because I'm too cold and I'm trying to control the trembling that want to run all over me. How am I supposed to sleep like this?

In one hand I have this unbearable cold that got aggravated by the rain outside, and on the other hand I have Chris resting right behind me, too close.

I shift a bit, trying to achieve a much warmer position, but it's kind of hard in such a limited space, so I just pull the towel closer and tighter around me… which proved to be a big mistake because now Chris knows I'm awake.

"Cold?" Before I can respond I feel his arm pull me to him, then resting casually around my waist.

I freeze, swallowing hard as his body presses close against me. Sure, even when he is slightly wet from the rain, he still provides a nice source of warmth, in more ways than he probably imagines, but I'll rather have him away.

I shift some more, trying to give him the impression that I'm asleep and unknowingly moving. But the more I move the closer he gets, the tighter his hold gets.

I try to relax in his arms, maybe this is not so bad, maybe I'll get to sleep a dreamless sleep and wake up with a clearer head. After all I'm a level headed woman very capable of controlling her own acts.

Then why is my heart frantically beating inside my chest? Why do I need to refrain from pushing against him so I could get closer?

Nothing good can come out of this.

My breathing slows a bit… Is he asleep? His arm feels heavy on me and I can feel his slow breathing on my neck, he is that close to me.

As is moved by an outer being with a huge amount of power over my body, I move even closer to him, guiltily enjoying how my back molds to him. It's like I lost all ability to think straight and I'm acting out of impulses.

Slowly, and making it seem unintentional, I push my bottom into him… and my, if he is asleep there are some parts of him that are very awake and seeking attention.

God this is so unlike me!

I stay pressed to him, his hand still in its place and not even attempting to move away. Which makes me believe that I'm kind of taking advantage of him! I mean, I'm acting like a sex crazed adolescent girl, there he is asleep and I'm here pressing into his groin.

What would he think of me if he is awake?

Once again I move, trying to make it look like a casual thing I do in my sleep, I move away from him because this is stupid, I'm being stupid. But when I attempt to stop this nonsense I only manage to bump my head into the bamboo that serves as a wall.

I gasp, unable to keep the sound to myself as I rub a hand to me head. That hurt like hell and it serves me well for having such a sick mind.

I roll to my back, holding down a loud protest just because I don't want to wake him up.

"Are you ok?"

Oh no! I clear my throat. "I bumped my head with something" I say in my best impression of a sleepy voice. I hope he buys it.

"Let me see"

He hovers at my side, his fingers smoothing my forehead with their electric touch.

"It's nothing" He whispers as he entrances me with those eyes. "I'm sure you'll be able to live"

I blink, his fingers have moved to my hair while his face gets closer and closer as I stay here. "I know… it's just… not a nice wake to wake up"

He doesn't respond, instead he presses those warm lips of his against mine. And just like I did earlier I just let him do it, feeling as his thumb settles on my chin to pull it down, forcing my lips to part so that he would be granted unlimited access to explore me.

Who gave him the idea that because he kissed me once he could kiss me whenever he likes to?

But I'm not pushing him away, I don't think I could.

I allow his tongue to seek mine, swirling around and trying to coax me into some action, trying to make me respond to him.

And it doesn't take long for me to give in; before I know it I'm kissing him back, my hand going up to rest at the back of his head.

Having Chris kiss me like this is a wonderful feeling. I'm not going to lie, I like it very much; and as the kiss starts to escalate in intensity so does my need for more.

His hand wanders down my side, reaching the edge of my shirt and then sneaking underneath it, and once again I let him do it.

His touch is gentle and only limits to run deliciously slow through my side, giving no intention to change its course.

And why am I letting him do it? I mean, apart from the fact that it feels good?

The kiss goes on, and before I can take notice of how it happened, or even when, he is lying on top of me and right between my legs, and damn… he feels nice all hot and hard pressing against me.

"Chris…" I say pulling away from his lips, it was meant to be a warning but it came out as a breathy moan.

He kisses me again and my hand runs down his back, not a good thing when I want him to stop… or do I?

I lift my hips to him, feeling a delicious bolt of electricity run through me as his arousal pushes into my heated groin… this is no way of stopping this, this only encourages him and makes it harder for me to resist.

This is getting out of hand and I need to stop it now. I pull away again, my breathing coming in short gasps.

"We shouldn't…" I breathe out against his lips. But I'm not making an effort to stop it, quite the contrary, this time I'm the one that seek his lips, I'm the one that kisses him as his hands find their way underneath my shirt, roaming freely and making me melt under his touch before he takes the offending fabric away.

It's kind of funny how I'm not cold anymore, even without a shirt.

The feeling of his bare skin fusing with mine is more than pleasant, the heat of his body passing trough me in huge waves.

My hands slides down his back and to his pants, and even when I can't quite believe what I'm doing I start to push them down and away.

He doesn't seem to mind, in fact he helps me dispose of them and when they are out of our way he slides mine off too.

Now, this already got out of hand, I know it when I find myself lifting my hips up to help Chris take my pants and my underwear off… what are we doing?

Well, apparently nothing yet. I know that when I feel the very essence of his manhood pressing insistently into my wetness, wanting entrance; and I know it when I'm more than willing to let him in.

But he doesn't, he stays still for a while as he pulsates against me, his eyes roaming my face as I stare at those blue orbs. "Good you are beautiful"

For some reason that takes me aback, and as his eyes delve deep into mine I know that there is no turning back from this.

Here, as the rain pours around us and the night falls on us I give in to desire. I let go of all inhibitions and between moans and swallowed gasps I surrender myself to him.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks a lot for all the nice reviews! I really appreciate it and I love that this little story is keeping you entertained! Now, this one is a short-short piece that I made for two persons (you know who you are and I guess that yes, I like to spoil you!) that were kind of asking for it.

Enjoy =)

~*~*~*~*~*

I'm trembling; the soft breeze sneaking through the crevices of the shelter is carrying some of the piercing cold from outside and settling it here. I struggle to remain still, but the cold has become unbearable and all I can do is tremble under its unmerciful intensity.

Needless to say, I can't sleep.

But the cold is not the only factor that is keeping me awake; that other factor, the one that has prevented my sleep long before the chills started to invade me is the man sleeping behind me… or maybe not the man himself, but the memory of the night we had.

Ok, ok… I'll admit it, it's the man himself.

Its unbelievable how he has taken over my subconscious; every time I close my eyes all I see are those eyes, all I feel is his touch… and even when I have my eyes open I can still feel him… I mean, he _is_ sleeping right behind me, one arm resting against my waist while his chest is pressed against my back.

So this is what it has become to, even in his sleep he is not allowing me time and space to clear my thoughts, to analyze things.

But if I have to be completely honest, I don't really want to go through my extensive overanalyzing process, I can't do too much thinking so early in the morning without a nice dose of caffeine.

So I have tried to sleep it off, but for the longest time I only managed to doze off, to go in and out of a light sleep that has left me even more restless, thoughtful…

And the more I think about it the less I can wrap my mind to it; I simply don't know what got into me, why I let myself be carried away in the moment?

It's not like me to sleep with a man after what? Two days of being with him in this Island? I mean, I willingly gave myself to him, I voiced no protest, I put no fight, I just… gave in.

God, I don't even want to imagine what he must think about me now. I don't even know what to think about myself now…

But then again, is not like I met him yesterday. This is no random guy that appeared out of nowhere and enticed me to sleep with him, this is Chris. I've known him for almost a decade; I work with him… he works for my father and we all work with my husband.

See, not a stranger at all…

I sigh, still trembling and still thinking. If it wasn't for the fact that it's still raining outside and that it must be freezing cold, I would get out of here and take a walk… maybe take a dip in the ocean and organize my thoughts.

But I won't do that; I'll stay here, pressed against him while fresh and very vivid memories of the night we shared run through my head over and over again.

And I don't know… maybe I'm overreacting, it's something I tend to do because most of the time I just think too much. I like to over analyze things, to shred all my thoughts to pieces so I can go over them thoroughly.

But I don't want to do that now… I can't; and after all, this thing between Chris and I can't be as bad as I'm painting it.

I mean, we are both adults very capable of taking responsibility of our own acts, and it's not as if we committed a crime or something; we just acted on the moment. We gave in to our desires.

So this happens all the time, that it doesn't happen often, not to say never, to me doesn't mean is not normal. It's a reaction of being so close to him all the time, the result of being trapped together in this place, in this Island.

And if I come to think about it, since the moment we got into this place there seemed to be something between us… an attraction that blossomed out of this wrecked situation we got ourselves into… we just acted on it.

I'm sure that once the sun is up and the skies are bright things will look different… better.

"You are shaking"

I startle a little when I hear his husky voice coming from behind, but I'm sure he didn't notice with all this damn trembling that is going through me.

The arm that is around my waist pulls me closer to him and I feel his lips on my shoulder, kissing me lightly, almost an imperceptible caress. "I'm cold" I whisper through clenched teeth, not sure what else to say. Is not every day that I'm in a deserted Island, naked and snuggled in his arms.

"Come here" He makes me turn around and with smooth ease he pulls me on top of him, wrapping his arms around me while my head comes to rest into the curve of his neck.

For a while we remain like this, my body molding to his while a comfortable silence dances around us. The truth is that I was expecting a sense of awkwardness to take over me once we were both awake, but there is none of that. Instead I find it quite nice and I just cling to him while he offers me the warmth my body was lacking.

So here, helpless in his embrace, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, absorbing the moment because I don't know how long it will last, for now I'll take solace in him.

The silence between us continues, and if his fingers wouldn't be tracing lazy patterns in my back I would say that he went back to sleep.

But he isn't asleep; he's very much awake, just like me. And just like me I don't think he will go to sleep any time soon.

I lick my lips, my hand moving down to rest against his chest, just laying there, feeling the steady beating of his heart.

It feels weird and yet comforting to have him holding me like this, touching me like this, to feel the rise and fall of his chest against mine as he breathes. It all feels kind of surreal and for a moment I have to remind myself who this is, because never in a hundred years I would imagine this would happen between us.

Sure, I never thought that I was going to be in a plane crash and live to tell it… not to mention the whole deal with the deserted Island! But what can I say; life has many unexpected turns and what can we do but ride along.

As I lay here, so very close to him and going over my thoughts about this development that just surged between us, a cold breeze sweeps around us, sending a small shiver run up my spine.

His fingers stop their light caresses and he is now rubbing his hands through the length of my back. "Better?" He asks while he keeps warming me up, the movements of his hands on me making me rock against him.

"Much better" I admit with a sigh, noticing that my lips are almost brushing against the skin between his neck and his shoulder… I wonder what he would think if I just press my lips there, if I kiss him in that spot.

"See, I told you that the best way to keep warm was cuddling naked"

I smile, shaking my head a little. "You are impossible"

He shifts underneath me, positioning himself in a way so that I can feel his hardness pressing against me. I can say that I feel a shiver that has nothing to do with the cold run through me.

"Of course, there are other methods, but those are reserved for extreme cases, like when severe shaking is involved and you are desperately trying not to freeze your ass off"

"Is that so?" I ask as I feel his hands slowly sliding down my back and to my bottom, settling there and pulling me firmly to him. Once again I just let him do this, feeling how he is just a push away of sliding into me… again.

"Yeah, but I don't recommend it unless it's highly necessary" His hands are still in place, kneading softly and way too intimately, but still, he makes no attempt to go further.

"Because it's dangerous?"

"No" His voice is a slight caress against my shoulder; I can't help but to swallow hard and take a deep breath. "Because it's addictive and then you will want it all the time and well, I'm not a heating machine"

I chuckle, he is indeed impossible. Before all of this happened, back when we were living our regular lives, I used to find all his nonsense annoying. But now that we are here and I have no other company but a million lizards and a wild chasing pig, I kind of find him charming. "Don't worry, is not like I'm that cold anyway"

One of his hands move up my body and to the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair while his other hand remains where it was, running along my flesh as he gets familiar with me. With the hand that went to my head he gently forces me to look up and into his eyes.

And as his eyes delve deep into mine, I can already feel the events of last night repeating, it's like a cycle I will be doomed to repeat at his will.

Gone is the playful tone he was using a few minutes ago; now his eyes are dark pools of blue that refuse to leave mine, rendering me speechless. The intensity of his stare is making me feel swollen and ready for the possibilities he is offering through his eyes.

And through it all I just stare back at him, unable to look away. I never thought I could get enticed like this, so easily…

So that's all it takes, before I can do as much as blink he kisses me, and as his lips press into mine he gives that little push that was keeping my body from fusing with his, the push that made us become once again, one flesh.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

I know! It's been a long while since the last update and I'm sorry about that. Hopefully, I'll be able to update more often now, we'll see. I'm not too happy about this chapter, I'm having the worst week ever and I'm afraid it showed her… sorry if that happens.

Anyway, once again I want to thank you all for the nice reviews and I hope you are still enjoying this! BTW, this takes place a few days later after last chapter!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Today is one of those days when the intensity of the sun is so strong that I wish I was deep into the comforting shadows of the jungle, refreshing in the cool waters of the lake while waiting for the chilly breeze of dusk to take over this heat.

That would be the wise thing to do… the most sensible option.

And God knows that's what I should be doing it right now, _we_ should be doing that… and I wish we were, because out here the heat is beyond unbearable, it's almost bordering into intolerable and my burning skin is already protesting the unnecessary punishment.

But instead of doing what my common sense tells me to do, I'm sitting out here, surrounded by a foot of warm sea water as I watch Chris go through his fishing attempt number eleven.

Ever since the first day we swam our way into this place, he's been trying this fishing thing at least once a day; but just like all his previous attempts I know that this one is not going to be successful either…

Now, I can tell him that he will never catch a fish with that lance of his and save us both the nuisance that is being out here; that way he can give up already and we could go to the much refreshing waters of the lake. But knowing him as I know him now, telling him that will only make him want to persist, he will never stop and we will be here until nightfall crashed upon us, and maybe after that he'll keep doing it… he gets kind of stubborn when it comes to his survival abilities.

So instead of telling him what's on my mind, I just sit here under the unmerciful watch of the sun, feeling the soft caress of the water give some kind of comfort to my skin as I watch him go through this once again.

I take a deep breath, and without taking my eyes away from him, I lift my hand up to my lips and take into my mouth one of the small purplish black grapes we found the other day deep into the jungle, savoring its nectar as it invades all my senses.

I know that I can always go to the lake by myself, but where is the fun in that? I want him to go with me.

"Chris…" I break the silence just after I swallow down the sweetness that are these grapes.

The truth is that I've been sitting here for a while now and I think it's time for me to say something, anything to get him out of here and into the jungle. It should not be so difficult; I just need to be subtle about it…

The problem is that subtle is something I'm not very good at.

"Let's go to the lake" I take another grape into my mouth and wait for his response. Maybe it wasn't the smoothest thing to say, but I'm not known for being a smooth talker, I tend to go straight to the point so I guess this could have been worst.

At least there is no damage to his ego…

From his place on top of the rocks he uses to stand, he looks down on me with half closed eyes, probably because the intensity of the sun is getting into his eyes.

That's one of the reason why I don't get why he chastises himself with this, the sun is at its peak and it's impossibly hot out here. I don't know how he can stand it. "Come on, it's too hot out here and I'm thirsty" I say coming out a little bit whiny, just as I wanted to.

He smiles at me and even when I'm trying to look more uncomfortable than what I really am, I can't help but to smile back. He just haves one of those smiles that lure you into smiling back… even when you don't want to because you are trying to make him believe something and smiling is not helping your cause…

He jumps out of the rocks he was standing in and starts to make his way to where I sit. I manage to bite down the smile that has formed on my lips but I'm unable to tear my eyes from his as he makes his progress, and just when he is standing right in front of me he throws the lance to the sand and kneels down so he can grab me by the ankles to pull me to him. "So… you say you are feeling hot?"

His eyes held mine with that predatory glint they get every time he looks at me, and while he leans against me, positioning himself right between my legs I have to bite hard on my lips. "Very…" I respond with a predatory glance of my own. By the look he is giving me I can say that he's done with the fishing and that he is ready to engage in other activities.

Mission accomplished. Now I need to get him into the jungle and towards the lake.

"Hmmm, I can take care of that without having to go to the lake" He mumbles and moves forward to kiss me. But just when his lips are inches away from mine I throw my head back and instead of finding what he was looking for his lips crash against my throat.

"But I really want to go to the lake Chris" I whisper as his lips work on the exposed skin of my neck and collarbone.

I've been through this too many times now, and I know that if he keeps doing what he is doing with his lips and tongue I'll forget everything about the lake and this heat and I'll end up doing whatever he wants to do, wherever he wants to.

Not that it would be a bad thing; I mean, I really like being with Chris and I'm willing for everything he's up to.

This is not like it was with Paul, that even when I loved him and was married to him I always found myself giving him excuses to escape his advances, and the times I had no excuses to give or he became too demanding I always ended up being with him out of duty.

Now that I look back to it I wonder if that was the catalyst of our downfall, what drove him to sleep around with other women… not that in matters now, let the past stay in the past, the present looks more promising. Besides, rumors of his cheating ways got to me way before that… and I think that was the reason I started to drift apart.

But anyway, with Chris everything is different, his touch makes go wanton and just by thinking what awaits me can drive me mad with need like nobody could…

I don't know if it's because destiny intertwined our paths so we are now in this situation together or because this is all new to us, because we are still discovering each other.

Maybe it is the island… because here it's just Chris and me, the two of us carving the present while the past get blurry with each passing day. In this place, what we were and the persons we were with back in that past life doesn't matter… Paul doesn't matter and neither does the life he had…

Or at least that's what I want to believe… I just don't like to think about it, especially the part where it concerns his life.

Not wanting to get entirely lost in his light caresses, I drop the grapes in the water and lift my hand to his face, placing a finger to his lips so that he'll stop his teasing for a moment.

"I want to get you into the lake; far away from that lance and those rocks… you spend too much time there" That was kind of smooth… I didn't mention the part where I think he is wasting his time doing that… at least not directly.

He slides his hands to my hips and pulls me even more into him. "But Stephers… what kind of a man does it makes me if I can get my woman some nice dinner"

I raise an eyebrow, a bit amused by his choice of words. "Your woman? Wow… that's the most cavernicolous thing I've been told you big macho man" I poke him on the chest playfully. "Next thing I know you'll be dragging me by the hair and into that casa of yours"

He smirks, his eyes looking mischievously into mine. "Don't tempt me woman" He says as he buries his fingers into my hair to pull me to him, making my lips collapse with his as he wanted to do earlier on.

Despite my protest of wanting to go to the lake and away from this heat, I find myself responding to him, kissing him back while my hands roam along his back and his sneak underneath my shirt.

What else can I do? This is what I've been reduce to… not that I'm complaining, I'm far from that. How can I complain when he kisses me like this, stealing the breath out of me so that he can take all of me and claim it as his own?

Right now I don't care about the stupid heat… I'm kind of getting use to it anyways; and water from the lake, from the ocean, in the shadows out in the heat… who cares?

My hands go up to the back of his head and I pull him closer to me, making the kiss go deeper and more intimate. It kind of amazes me how I have given myself to him with such ease; this is something I would never imagine before arriving here.

But now that it happened I can't see it any other way…

Wanting to catch my breath for a moment, I break away from the kiss, only that he refuses to stop using those lips and very slowly, he moves them down my neck and to my throat, repeating the pleasant action he was doing a while back.

A soft moan escapes me and I keep my eyes closed as he goes on, kissing and nipping at will while the water laps at us.

But then he stops and for a while I remain here, sitting immobile with my cheeks burning from a heat that has nothing to do with the sun while I wonder what's going on…

"Stephers, can I tell you something without having you freak out?" He is whispering, his breath caressing my cheek softly.

I open my eyes and find myself submerged deep into his blue orbs, they are sparkling into mine and there is a slight smile on his face.

"What is it?" I ask out of breath because of the sensations he was provoking in me and well… because his eyes still have that effect on me.

"There is a turtle of gigantic proportions crawling its way to us…"

His eyes are still on mine and for a moment I think this is a trick of him to… hell, I don't know what for, but it's by far the most random thing he has told me so far. "Really?" I ask frowning, he just nods at me.

Kind of hesitant, I move my head a bit to the side and with the corner of my eye I see that he is not lying to me, at all. There is a mammoth of a turtle dragging itself through the sand and on its way to the water.

It's not exactly coming our way, but its close enough.

I part my lips slightly while I watch amazed it's slow progress. "Oh my God" I turn around, with my elbows supporting me and my body pressed between Chris' and the soft sand at the bottom of the water, this way I can have a better look.

I've never seen anything of the like and I have to admit I'm impressed by the size of it, it's huge, and it's seems to have a hard time moving.

"Maybe she just lay down her eggs, I think that's the only time they come out of the sea"

I keep my watch on it, I think Chris is right… she could have been laying her eggs because she does seems exhausted, and don't these creatures lay hundreds of eggs at the same time? That seems like a hard job to do, and then having to crawl back to the sea.

"Do you think the eggs are safe, shouldn't we move them so they will not be eaten by… I don't know, the lizard?" If my memory serves me well out of the hundreds of eggs just a handful survive… "We can bury them or something"

"Sure… but did you know that turtles are a delicacy in some parts of the world? We could eat it"

"Chris! Argh… don't you dare. That's against the law, they are almost extinct and I will not let you do that!"

He's unbelievable, is food the only thing he can think about?

"Hey calm down Princess, I was just kidding. We'll only eat the eggs… a dozen sounds great" He says and as if reading my mind he put some pressure into my shoulders so that I couldn't hit him in the stomach with my elbow… as I wanted to do.

It's weird because I've never done that to him… can't put my mind on why was he expecting it. Oh well…

He laughs and presses his lips to my shoulder. "Calm down woman, we'll keep eating lizard until the end of days" He says taking my hands on his as he begins to caress me tenderly, his fingers tracing circles on my palm.

I roll my eyes but there is a smile on my face. "I tell you what, when we get out of here we'll go to the fish market and I'll buy you all the fish your heart desires, eggs too, just not turtle's"

He places a kiss to my shoulder and I feel him take a deep breath. "When we get out of here you'll want nothing to do with me, you'll tell me that we can't see each other because I'm one of the boys and you don't want to date after just getting out of a divorce, you'll give me the boot and then you'll leave me all alone and heartbroken"

This time I'm the one that takes a deep breath, turning his left hand over and running a finger along his ring finger, the one that he has tattooed. "Don't be silly. If anyone will be giving the boot here it will be you. You'll go back to your life and you'll forget about me and this island and…"

Before I can finish he makes me turn around so I'm once again face to face with him and staring right into his eyes. "Look at you, you are the one being silly, there is no way I'm going to forget you, or any of this… besides who told you we were going to get out of this island? We'll be here forever and you'll have no choice but to bear my children… didn't we talk about this already?"

Despite all that's going on through my mind I smile at him and his attempt to lighten the mood, he is always trying to put my mind at ease. He doesn't know I notice that but I do…

Still, I decide to say what's on my mind and get it over with. After all, as long as we are here it's not important, nothing really matters. I clear my throat because I don't want my voice to crack and show how I really feel about this. "But we'll get out of here, one day… and when that day comes you'll go back to your wife and that's it…"

I watch as he runs his tongue along his lower lip, probably considering his words before speaking them out loud. "Things back home are not going well, so even if this whole thing wouldn't have happened I would not be going back to her"

"Yeah…" I smile even when I don't feel like it. "That's what you all say" I run a finger from his lips to his cheek, letting him know with that single touch that I don't really care, that I'll live the moment and worry about the consequences when the times come to worry about it. For now I won't care…

"I'm not lying, there's no one that I want in this world that is not you… Not that it matters anyway because like I told you, we are not getting out of here… so for all eternity you'll be my woman and I'll be your man, you'll be my Jane and I your Tarzan, you'll be…"

"I get it, I get it" I laugh while putting a hand to his lips so that he would shut up. "You talk too much, man"

"You can take care of that" His hands move to my stomach and then slide up until he is cupping me through the fabric of my shirt.

"I'm not taking care of anything while that thing is near… what if it attacks us?"

He laughs and I squint at him. "Steph… it's a turtle, a turtle is not going to attack us"

"That's what you said about the pig and look what happened" I raise my eyebrow and smile knowingly.

"Well… that was planned, I was looking for a way to kiss you and it worked perfectly"

"Right… anyway, if you want me to do anything about it you better take me to that lake and I'll find a way to make this eternity more interesting" I say while moving my hand down his body and to the crotch of his pants, doing some touching of my own.

And as always, I smile because I like what I found there.

"I like that already" He hurries up to his feet and takes me up with him, and once we are both standing he lifts me over his shoulder and smacks my behind. "Come on woman, me wants you now"

I laugh at his silliness while he carries me away, walking pass the turtle and the casa until we disappear into the jungle and towards the lake.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

First of all I want to thanks everyone who reviewed last chapter; it really motivates me to know that you are liking this. Now, Luanne, Taylor and Kyara… please don't hate! Lol

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Two weeks ago, if someone would have told me that I'd be today in a deserted island, washing my clothes along with that of Chris Irvine's in a lake, and not with regular detergent but with a bottle of shampoo that I found in a suitcase that washed off shore I think I would have laugh.

Yes, I would have laugh hysterically…

After all, that's the most ridiculous thing ever.

But guess what? Ridiculous or not it's my reality… and I'm not laughing. This is not funny, deserted islands are not fun and doing laundry in a deserted island is definitely a tedious work.

I always hated doing laundry, so imagine how I feel about it now.

Maybe I should listen to Chris, maybe we should both spend our days here naked. At least that would save me from having to do this every once in a while. No clothes, no laundry…

Right… the only thing is that I know I won't do that; not only because I don't want to have a sunburned behind, but also because I don't think I would feel comfortable roaming this place in my birth suit.

Chris would love it though; I don't think he was joking when he made the suggestion.

And there is also the mosquitoes' factor; those evil little creatures have feasted on my blood enough for me to give them new places to bite. So no, I'm definitely not going to lose my clothes in favor of permanent nakedness…

But back to this laundry thing; I decided to wash only what's strictly necessary, at least for today. It looks like it's going to rain and I don't want all this time of scrubbing and rinsing go to waste because of the rain.

Because when it rains in this place it really rains, it's almost like The Flood all over again; if only we would be provided with an ark… or a boat, even a raft would do!

And no animals of course, I don't care to take anything out of this place; I will leave the clearing of Island Doom to the multi-millionaire who decides to make an exclusive resort in this place. Ha! I would love to see that.

Of course, I'll see it from the comforts of my living room, through my computer or maybe from an ad on the TV, because once I leave this place I don't ever want to come back

I wring one of Chris' shirts and once it's not dripping I toss it with the rest of the clothes in the suitcase I brought with me. I'm done with this, so I close suitcase and now I only need to take all of this back to the beach and hang them up so they will dry nicely.

That's if the sun decides to make an apparition today. I take a glance upward, and through the dense foliage I see that the sky still looks like it's about to open up to drown us… guess I chose a wrong day to do the laundry.

The powers that be have no consideration for me… but what can I do? I stand up, and dragging the suitcase behind me I walk to the spot where Chris is watching over me… or where he is supposed to be watching over me.

When I told him I was coming to the lake he insisted on coming with me in case something happened. As if something would actually happen in this place, unless the lizards decided to gang up on me as a revenge for their fallen brothers I don't think there is a lot of dangers here.

And in case that really happened, I'm pretty much sure that he would be the one attacked.

There is also the pig, but we know already that he doesn't venture to this part of the island, at least not unless we invade his territory… when that happens he will chase us all the way here.

Anyway, I told him that there was no need for him to come here, but being the stubborn man that he is he insisted, and what could I do? It wasn't as if he had anything better to do… I mean he could have helped with the washing, but since he's the one doing the entire survival job around here I can't be too demanding.

And I didn't mind him coming with me; I thought the company would be good to help the time pass quickly. But upon arrival he chose a spot and just sat there, leaving me with my thoughts of washing machines and electricity as my only companions.

Such is life.

When I finally arrive to where he is, I notice that he is sleeping. Resting on his side and using one of his arms as a pillow. So much for watching over me…

I stare at him for a moment before I decide to sit at his side. I frown, because Chris is not one to be taking naps in the middle of the day; in fact he is not much of a sleeper. He can go to sleep but if something moves or if there is a sound he wakes up immediately.

He is always on alert and when I teased him about it he told me that sleeping was stupid and overrated…

But now it seems as if he is sound asleep… he didn't wake up when I sat at his side and not even when I softly called his name.

What if he is sick? Tropical weather is known for nestling some awful diseases… dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever; even the common flu would be horrible in this place.

I mean, there is no hospital to take him to; there is no medicine for him… not to mention that I know nothing of these diseases other than they are dangerous.

How come that the thought of something like this didn't cross my mind before? This is material to freak out and God knows that I haven't freaked out in a while.

A bit hesitant, I place my hand against his forehead… much to my relieve I find that his skin is cool to the touch. I let out the breath I was holding, I can rule out the diseases… at least for now. But I'm not so sure, for all I know there must be a lot of symptoms other that fever…

Or maybe I'm overreacting and he is just tired. This gloomy weather does incite idleness, and if I wouldn't have been occupied with washing clothes I would be dozing off too.

I allow my hand to slide up to his hair, running my fingers through his blonde silky locks as I indulge myself in watching him sleep.

Is not very often that I'm given the chance of watching him sleep; I'm always taken away in the arms of Morpheus before him, and when I wake up he is already up and about. So I take this moment just to watch him.

His features look relaxed, like if there is nothing to worry about in this world. Now that I think about it, ever since we got here, he has been the one with a clear mind. He knows what to do and when to do it, but above all he hasn't lost his cool once.

I have, more than once… but he is always there to bring me back to my senses, he has been the rock I lean into when I stumble… I don't know what would have been of me if it wasn't for him…

But I think I know, I never would have made it out of that plane by my own, so I owe him everything. I don't think I have told him that.

My hand moves from his hair to his face, tracing with a finger a path that reaches his lips, exploring at will what I have countless of times explored with my lips.

His lips are soft, but I already knew that… but just to make sure my fingers are not deceiving me I lean forward and kiss him softly.

It's only a peck, but long enough to enjoy the softness that I was craving for. It's kind of funny how I got used to him in such a short while.

I kiss him once more… just to check again…

All of this I do without waking him up, which is weird because like a said before, he is a light sleeper. I try not to worry my mind with thoughts of diseases and such things; all I want is to take this moment and memorize it because I don't think it will be long enough.

Soon he will wake up, and as much as like him awake and alert, I want to take a moment to enjoy him like this.

So from his lips I move to the raspy stubble in his jaw. He needs to shave, the last time he did so was a few days ago… I like him this way though; besides who cares, we are castaways!

I pull away, just enough to take a look at him. He is still asleep while the sky is menacing to fall upon us. I know I should wake him up and make him go back to the beach, but he looks so tranquil that I don't find it in my heart to disrupt his sleep.

My hand finds its way back to his head, my fingers running through his hair, feeling its soft texture as I watch him entranced… but then, the spell is broken and his eyes open.

I smile; knowing that if his eyes keep looking at me the way they are doing now a new spell will be casted on me. "Hey… you fell asleep on your watch. Aren't you aware of the dangers that dwell in this jungle?"

He blinks, trying to focus his eyes as he runs his hand down his face. "I wasn't sleeping" He grumbles. "I was watching over you, I just blinked…"

I chuckle. "Oh ok…" He looks a little groggy and when I'm about to ask if he is feeling okay he wraps an arm around my neck and brings me to him.

"I dreamt I caught a fish at the beach"

His arm is still around me and when he pulled me over I ended up half laying on top of him, so I move a little so I can look at him.

His eyes are closed once again and for a moment I stay still, trying to figure out if he went back to sleep. Truth is that I have no idea… the only way to find out is if I make him speak.

"Was it a big fish?" I see the way he wrinkles his nose so I know he is not asleep. That's a good thing because it will be easier to make him walk if he is awake.

"Nah… but maybe it was a sign that tomorrow I'll have more luck"

I roll my eyes, I think I already established that I don't like when he goes to the beach to try to catch fishes, especially now that he found a spot deeper into the ocean where he claims he will have more luck. "Or maybe it's a sign from the beyond telling you that you spend too much time trying to fish something"

He doesn't respond.

"Chris…" I call his name, if he is going back to sleep I better make him go to the casa. That way if it rains he will not get drenched and thus he will not get sick. I don't want him to get sick. "Let's go back to the casa"

He smiles, his eyes opening to look at me as his hand comes to rest lazily at my lower back. "Again? Stephers you are insatiable"

"What? Don't you start getting ideas in that dirty mind of yours; I'm only looking for your well being. It's going to rain and I don't want you getting sick"

His hands move to my head, tangling in my hair much as I was doing earlier with his. "Baby, I don't get sick, I'm from Canada"

I lift an eyebrow, sometimes I really wonder about this man. "Well, Mr. Canadian, I do get sick, so if not for you then let's go back for me"

Pulling me closer, he kisses me, and when pulling back he smiles. "You won't get sick either, not if you follow my instructions"

"And what would those instructions be?" I ask kissing his jaw and then all the way to his lips, I have to admit that I love the way his mind works.

And I also love how his lips work… they always leave me wanting for more and this time is no different, when he pulls away I have to fight the urge to move forward and make him kiss me until there is no breath left in me.

"I'll show you… but first let's get back to Jericho's casa, where everything gets more interesting"

He gives me quick kiss and then we both stand up. At least I know there will be more of those sweet kisses later… probably more.

He takes hold of the suitcase and together we start to make our way back.

As we walk, Chris stands behind me and wraps his free arm around me, kissing my check as I try to walk. "Chris… I can't walk like this" I complain but at the same time I place my own arms on top of his, preventing him from pulling away.

"Sure you can" He kisses my neck and I smile. I know I can walk like this, but I rather turn around and kiss him… if I don't do it it's because then he will kiss me back and we'll leave the suitcase full of wet clothes here and we probably won't make it to the case for a while.

So I just keep going with his arms around me as he teases me with his lips…

We go on like this until we reach the beach, and once he walk past the trees and palms I venture to look up and that's when I see it.

I stop, frozen… and for a wild-irrational moment I have the urge to turn back and hide in the jungle… then Chris' hands drop away from me and I know that he saw it too. I can feel it in the way his body tenses against mine.

There, in the ocean and not too far from us is a huge yatch… what I've been waiting since the moment I first stepped into this place. It's our ticket out of here and it's coming our way…

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Once again I want to thank for your kind reviews, they always encourage me to write more and motivate me to keep with this! I'm really glad you are still enjoying this and I hope this little update doesn't disappoint.

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There is a cold breeze sweeping around us, lifting a little bit of sand up in the air and making it dance in front of my eyes. It falls on us, some of it… the rest keeps moving away to disappear into a far distance; leaving us behind and about to face an uncertain future.

With my eyes fixed into that distance, I run the palms of my hands along my arms, hoping the friction will provide me with some warmth because I'm cold, way too cold and on the verge to start trembling.

It works, but only to a certain degree; maybe I won't start trembling soon, but I am still cold… and being exposed out here is not helping my case.

This breeze is a clear indicative that is going to pour; I've been in this place enough time to recognize the signs, a breeze that chills you to the bone, a black canopy of a sky with pregnant clouds that are about to explode all over us… a rebelling sea, waves going wild and throwing tantrums in protest.

So yes… it's going to rain and it will start anytime now.

I venture to take a look to the coast, it's not the first time my eyes are drawn there… and like all the previous times I get transfixed by what I see there. I stare, a mix of awe and dread taking possession of me and provoking a shiver to run down my spine.

Chris notices this, and maybe he thinks my body involuntary shivered as a manifestation of the cold, because he turns a bit toward my direction and wraps his arm around me, bringing me closer to him so that he can share with me the warmth of his body.

He does this without ceasing his conversation… a conversation that for some reason I'm not following closely as I should.

I snuggle against him, taking the warmth of his body and the comfort he brings to me, because he is the only steady thing I can hold on to… everything else, I will be leaving behind.

So trying to focus in what's going on here, I look at the men who sit in front of us, them with their fancy-extravagant clothes and their incredulous smiles.

They can't believe we had been in this place all this time, they can't believe we survived a plane crash… and they can't believe they found Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley in a remote island near Africa.

So yes… I've wanted this to happen for a long time, I've been waiting anxiously for this moment ever since we set foot in this island; but when I hoped and dreamed for it to happen I was kind of waiting for a rescue boat by the Coast Guard, or maybe a helicopter with real rescue guys in uniforms an all that…

But that's not what we got… maybe I didn't specified what I wanted in my prayers because what we have here is a handful of wrestling fans that can't barely speak English and let's face it… their appearance speak volumes!

It's like if they used the Godfather as a fashion icon and then exaggerated it some… they look dubious and to be honest with myself I don't know if I want to get in that yacht with them… weird as it may sound is true.

"So wow…" One of them says, I think he's the only one who speaks English because the rest of them are just standing there, grinning and nodding.

"So you two got stranded here… I imagine it was difficult considering you don't get along, I mean she fired you! Oh but I see you get along now" He laughs, a bit too exaggerated if you asked me…

My eyes fixes on him, he has been talking to Chris all the time, the only time he addressed me was to ask me for my husband, Triple H; when I told him he was great he returned his attention back to _Jericho_.

And Chris… I can tell he finds this a bit amusing because he is playing along with them, adding fuel to their marking out! He even promised first row ticket in the next show in their country… oh their country happens to be Zaire, yes… as in Zaire, Africa.

Now, I don't know much about Zaire and Africa… but I don't think the regular Joe in Zaire has a luxurious yacht and dresses like Snoop Dogg or whatever rapper has a hit at the moment in a tasteless music video.

So maybe I'm letting a first impression guide my judgment here, but their appearance adds to my doubts… that and the fact that they think Hornswoggle is a genuine leprechaun.

"Yeah we get along now, we used to be business partners a long time ago and being here brought that back, maybe she'll help me get a title reign once we get back"

He laughs again, turning to his companions and talking to them in their language. They laugh too and give Chris the thumbs up.

"You can be champ, but you'll have to go through Cena first" He waves his hand in front of his face and they all laugh some more.

I can't believe this.

"Oh Jericho, I have to admit that we hated you for the past few months, especially after what you did to Shawn Michaels, but now that we met you here I have to tell you this, you are the man!"

"Of course I'm the man; I'm the first ever Undisputed Champion… I was lost for a while… but I guess all I needed was this nice weather to go back to my senses and to my old self, now Jericho is back Baby"

I fix Chris with a glare and he only winks at me.

One of the other men moved forward and whispered something to the one that has been talking. He listened and then waved him off. "Well, Mr. Jericho lucky for you we stopped here, now you will be able to go back home and get that title!"

From their talk I know that the yacht's control panel went wild and all their electronic devices stopped working a few miles away from the island, that they had stopped here had been purely random…

A work of destiny Chris said, now we are about to find out if it is a good thing or not… destiny is not my friend, so I really don't know about this.

After some more small talk that included some wrestling matches and Chris saying a few of his past catch phrases to the amusement of our rescuers, the leader of the group announces that we are leaving, he gives us a few minutes to gather our stuff and prepare to board the yacht.

He then goes away and leaves one of his stern looking men with us, waiting.

There is not much to bring back, I take my handbag and go into the casa, gathering a few essentials and throwing them in, my mind racing and my heart beating wildly.

There is something that I don't like about this…

"Are you ok?" I turn my face in time to see Chris getting into the casa. There is not much room for us so when I try to turn my whole body in his direction I practically collide with him.

He takes that moment to put his arms around me, just holding me to him as I return the act. "I don't know about this Chris" I confess and he takes my face in his hand to make me look at him.

"You know this is our only chance to get out of here, don't you?" He says as his thumb caresses my check softly, reassuringly.

I nod; I know that… and after spending almost two weeks in this place I want nothing more than to get out of here… "I know… but those men… there is something about them that I don't like Chris, did you see their clothes and their huge rings? What kind of men in Zaire dresses like that or goes sailing around in a yacht?"

Maybe my mind has been brainwashed to believe that everyone in Africa lives in complete poverty… but I don't know… a yacht? Diamonds and rubies in their fingers?

"Stephers… we can either go with them or stay here, if we stay here we might never get out. This is a chance we need to take…"

"I know"

He kisses my cheek and I move my face to the side to find for his lips with mine. We kiss here, in his casa, the two of us kneeling and holding onto each other as the mysterious man that the sea brought to us waits outside.

When we part away his clear blue eyes search for mine, a soft smile displaying on his lips. "Now, Stephers… know this, I don't know about their clothes or their yacht, but what I know about those guys is that they are huge wrestling marks"

I laugh, rolling my eyes. "Really? I didn't notice… Jericho"

"So we can use this to our advantage, tell them your dad will give them a wrestling contract and we might make it fine, or offer them Cena as a thank you gift, I bet they will dig that"

I snort, my hand slipping underneath his shirt so I can touch his skin, at this moment he is the only thing that keeps me sane. "Are you out of your mind, John is our biggest asset, there is no way we are getting rid of him" Oh but I can give them Paul…

"Yeah… he's your biggest asset but I'm the one you have working in all shows, but whatever" He says as he rolls his eyes playfully. "So are you ready to do this?"

I smile, my lips pouting a little as I look at him. My fingers trace a path up his back and then down again, repeating the motion and just enjoying this moment of closeness before we embark in this new journey.

I guess I'm ready as I'll ever be. I mean, what can really go wrong if he is with me?

"I am"

So we gather the things we are taking with us and when we are done we go to the man and then to the yacht, and as I get in it I can't help but to feel a bit nostalgic to be leaving the island behind.

I know it's stupid and a little bit weird, but there are so many memories in that island… I guess I kind of got used to it, to its severe weather, to swimming and bathing in the lake… the casa; and somehow I feel kind of bad that Chris never got to fish out of the sea.

And there is also the thing with the turtles, we are not going to see them crack out of their eggs and go back to the ocean… we spent so much time moving them to a safer place and now we'll never know if they will make it…

As the yacht starts moving, Chris stands behind me and wraps his arms around me; as he holds me, I keep my gaze fixed on the island… watching it until it disappears in the distance and until there is nothing left to see but the blue ocean extending to the infinite… that's when it starts to rain.

I look up, watching the rain fall on us… then I hear the man with the funny clothes calling for us to get down a set of stair that will take us to a place where we won't get wet.

We comply, and when we get down there I find myself amazed by the luxury of this thing… its huge; there are a lot of doors to a few rooms. The majority of them are locked, just a few are open and I can see a few pretty looking women moving around; there are also more stern looking men and much to my concert they are all armed.

"Being in that island you must have suffered a lot of discomforts, but don't you worry know, Big Juma is here to take care of that"

The man says in his heavy accent… for some reason I think of blood diamonds and drug trafficking… what have we gotten ourselves into?

"Will you be wanting separate rooms?"

"No" I say before I can think about it, but I don't really like the idea of staying away from Chris in this place with these people…

"Ah" He laughs. "I knew it… I always knew it, ever since I saw you together in the TV, there was this sexual tension between you"

"What?" I ask in disbelief, what the hell is he talking about…

"So here it is" He shows us to a room, a big room let me add. "Make yourself comfortable, in about an hour we will be having dinner and I'll be expecting you to be there, there are so many things to talk about!"

"Do you happen to have a phone we could use?" I blurt out. I really want to call daddy and tell him I'm ok, he and mom must be worried about me.

He smiles, tilting his head to the side as his eyes scan mine. I hold his gaze, even when he intimidates me some… I won't let him know that.

"We don't use phones here"

Chris hand comes to rest at my waist and I'm glad at the contact, because if he is with me I know everything will be all right…

"Is there any way we can contact our families, they'll be glad to know about us"

Chris' words make me thing once again about the family that awaits him and the position it puts us. He has a wife, a wife that must be waiting for him… back in the island she was a shadow, but now that we are out she is becoming more tangible… real.

I still don't want to think about it… I know I have Paul, but Paul and I are through, there is even a divorce pending back home… but as far as I know he and his wife are still together.

At least that's what I think, it's not as she has been a theme of conversation between Chris and I…

"I bet they will like that, but they would be surprised; they all thing you are dead. But anyway, Mr. Jericho, we don't have a way to communicate with the outside world… but I'll see what I can do for you. As for now, remember, dinner in an hour"

With that he leaves, leaving me frozen where I stand.

Dead?

They think I'm dead?

Chris pushes me into the room and closes the door behind us. I walk automatically to the bed and let my body fall on it, the feeling of the soft mattress beneath my body heavenly.

"I'm dead?" I ask as Chris climbs on top of me, his body coming to rest fully against mine.

"You don't look dead to me" He kisses my neck as I lay here, unresponsive… my mind is miles away from here and I wonder how he manages to always keep a clear mind.

"Chris" My hands go to his face and I lift it to me, so I can look at him, into his eyes. I think he sees the concern in my eyes because his own hand goes to my face and starts to trace it with his fingers.

The truth is that this scares me; we are in a yacht with strangers that think wrestling is real… same strangers that are armed and have no communication whatsoever with anyone outside their own circle. This can go so wrong… so very wrong.

"Everything will be all right Stephers… in the worst case scenario we can always jump into the ocean and swim to the nearest island…"

I snort despite myself. "Been there, done that… and believe me, I don't want to do it again"

"Why not? It will add to the plot of our movie, I already know it will be a great movie"

I lift my eyebrow as he kissed my lips briefly. "But that will come later, as for now I'm seeing a nice looking shower a few paces away from us… and I've been wanting to see you without being covered in sand for a long time now, so what do you say?" He wriggles his eyebrow and I try to push him off me.

He holds tighter into me and I laugh. "You have seen me a lot of times Chris…" I respond, images of the two of us in the lake exploring the wild passion that took over us in that island invading my mind… yes, he has seen a lot of me in the last couple of weeks to entertain his mind for years to come.

"Never enough… I also want to taste you and to feel you…"

He kisses me, and as always, his lips begin to burn a fire within me that begs for him to appease it. So I kiss him bag, my hands roaming his body as thoughts of wives and grieving families slowly begin to fade out of my mind.

I don't know what the future holds for us now; so I need to live in the present and make the most out of it… oh but we must make haste; in an hour dinner will be served and there is a lot to talk about.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you all for the nice reviews! I loved them all, like always. So this chapter is short-short and a bit rushed, but I hope you enjoy it!

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"Oh my God" I exclaim in a delighted tone I haven't used since Junior High; and I know I'm being naïve and perhaps a bit silly, but quite frankly I don't care. I just turn the water back on and then off, on and off until Chris takes my hands in his and makes me stop my little game.

"Come on Princess, I'm going to start believing you had never taken a shower before" He says from his place behind me, wrapping his arms around me and bringing me closer to him.

"Of course I have silly, but it was such a long time ago that I can barely remember" And that is kind of a true statement, because I do remember taking a shower, but bathing in the cold waters of a lake for a couple of weeks makes you appreciate the wonders of a water heater.

And really, being in that island for all that time deprived me from life's simple pleasures; things like taking a hot shower and sleeping in a real bed… I can't help but to feel excited at having some kind of normalcy back.

But all that depriving and discomforts end today; and if things go the way I hope I'll be soon sleeping in my own bed and engaging in more simple pleasures such as this.

As my mind takes off with thoughts of things to come, Chris moves his lips down to my shoulder and then slowly up to my neck. I smile, closing my eyes and just letting sensation take over me. My body is still riding high from the memory of what happened back in that big comfortable bed and this new teasing touch bring all the memories back.

I like this, being like this with him takes my mind off of all the things that can go wrong here. And that is just what I need, because now that we showered, time to go out and face reality is only getting nearer.

So wanting to prolong the moment a little bit longer I turn around and while facing him I go back to his embrace, circling his waist with my arms and nestling my face into the crook of his neck. "Do we really have to go and have dinner with that man… what is his name anyways, Big Jimbo?"

He chuckles, running his hands down my back, the electric touch of his finger making me shiver and snuggle closer against him. "I think it was Big Juma"

I smile, pressing my lips against his collar bone for a lingering kiss; the thing is that whatever his name is I don't want to go out to him. If it were up to me I would spend our time here inside this cabin.

"This could actually turn out to be not so bad; dinner sounds fantastic, and I don't know about you but I got tired of eating lizard"

I shrug, for all I care this people can have caviar and champagne, I still don't want to eat with them; especially not with that Jimmy guy.

But, there is always a but… we are in his boat, unaware of what business he is having behind closed doors so if he wants us to join him in dinner or in smuggling illegal merchandise out of African territory we have to put on a smile and comply.

After all dead people don't protest and to the entire world that's what we are, dead people.

Maybe Chris is right; we have enough material going on to make a movie… it will fit perfectly, because most of these things only happen in movies. I mean, a plane crash, a deserted island and now being rescued by a bunch that for all we know could be pirates.

Classic…

"Penny for your thoughts"

"Uh?" I mumble looking up to him.

"I lost you there for a while, what were you thinking?"

I'm about to respond when there is a knock on the door that interrupted me before I could even begin. I pout, knowing our moment is over.

"Let me get that"

He kisses me lightly and wraps a towel around his waist before walking out. For a moment I just stay there, but when I'm able to get out of my trance I grab a towel to dry me off and then I take a peek out the bathroom door.

No one is looking in.

I walk out of the shower, standing in front of the mirror and taking a scrutinizing look at my reflection. I look fatal, a lot skinnier… not in a good way, but more in a gaunt kind of way; I also notice that my skin didn't tanned well and is now an ugly red all over… and my hair, even after shampooing and conditioning looks terrible.

I'm a walking disaster! This is awful!

"Look what he have here"

I hear Chris yell from the other room and I wrap myself with the towel and turn around from the mirror, walking away to see what his commotion is about.

I stand in the doorway, only half interested in the clothes he is showing me because my mind is still horrified by what I saw on the mirror.

I wish I had never looked there.

"Look" He says with a huge grin on his face while he shows me a small little black dress that I don't know where he got from. Maybe it was given to him by whoever knocked on the door. "I wonder if this is for me or for you… it doesn't fix me, and I think it will look much better on you"

He keeps rummaging around and I watch him as he does that.

"We need to get ready…"

"All my clothes are damp and there is no way I'm putting any of that" I said curtly. The fact is that all my clothes _are_ indeed wet, in my hurry to pack I threw everything together and that included some of the clothes I washed in the lake earlier today.

My mistake, now I don't have anything to put on.

He looks up at me. "I bet we can find something here that will fit you… how about this?" He shows me yet another dress, and even though this one seems more modest than the black one he showed me earlier on I hate it… and I hate the fact that he is picking clothes up for me.

Paul used to do that.

"That's hideous… I told you I'm not wearing any of that" I cross my arms up to my chest and before he can respond there is another knock on the door.

For a while Chris just stands there, looking at me as I stare a hole through the wall. But then he moves and opens the door.

"Dinner will be served in twenty minutes, Big Juma expects you to be on time"

All of this I can only hear, because Chris just opened the door a little bit so he could take a peek out. Once the messenger is done he closes the door and then he walks to me.

"So what is up with you? Why that sudden change of mood?"

I take a deep breath; I can tell him that I don't like being here, that I don't want to put on any of that stupid clothes or that I don't think he will even give me a second glance once we get back home. But I say nothing of this, I just walk pass him and start rummaging through the clothes myself.

There is a bunch of things here, and after a while I pick the best thing I think will fit me and without saying a word I go back to the bathroom and put it on.

I try to hurry and once I'm done I go out to find Chris putting on a shirt. He is using his own clothes, and for some reason that makes me mad… so as he dresses I open my suitcase and hang my wet clothes all over the room so that they will dry off.

"Stephers…"

"What?" I ask without looking at him, just focused on what I'm doing.

"Ok, so whatever I did I'm sorry"

I feel his hands on my waist and before I can do or say anything he swirls me around so I'm now facing him, his clear blue eyes searching for mine.

Damn him, why is he making me feel guilty with just a look? Oh yeah, because I snapped at him for no apparent reason, at least not yet.

"You didn't do anything…" I say after taking a deep breath. "It's just…" I look away from his eyes, trying to clear my mind because I don't want to say the wrong thing.

But what is the wrong thing to say here, the truth? That now that we are out of the island there is no reason for him to like me anymore? Because let's face it, the island was the island, I was the only one there and well… things happened. But now we are on our way to our real lives and in his real life he has a pretty wife waiting for him…

"I just want all this to be over" I say after a while, deciding it's the safer thing to say.

He hugs me, pressing his lips to my forehead… I will miss this. "It will be over soon, we just need to get this dinner thing over with and then we will figure out what to do next… just let me ask you for one little favor, please let me do all the talking"

I snort, unable to help myself. "Well, I just hope we don't end up swimming our way back home"

So once we get dressed and I put some make-up so I won't look too awful, we get out of the room and up to where our escort led us… yes, an escort that was waiting at the door of the room we were in.

Jimbo, Jimmy or however the man calls himself is already there when we arrive. He is sitting and when he sees us he smiles. "Oh my WWE friends, so good to have you here, sit, sit"

We do as he says while he looks at us with that big smile still plastered on his face.

"So! Jericho, why don't you tell me again about the night you became the first Ever Undisputed Champion"

I look at Chris and he looks at me for a moment before turning his attention to Jumo. He relates that tale and numerous more as a serving girl brings the food.

Now… I have to admit this. After a strict diet of lizards, fruit and water, being served lobster is heavenly, washing it down with wine majestic…

But even as my mouth waters at the mere sight of it I manage to eat in small bites, taking time in between to listen to whatever thing Chris and Jomo are talking about.

Most of their talk is about wrestling, and since wrestling is my life I listen carefully; but as Chris told me back in the room, I keep my thoughts to myself, nodding every now and then while enjoying the food.

This turned out to be not so bad… just like Chris said. I was kind of expecting the table to be stuffed with illegal goods and me and Chris being informed about or kidnapping and the ransom they will be asking for us.

Oh but that still can happen…

But then dinner is done and dessert is served and once again I concentrate on eating and listening.

"Big Juma…" Chris says and when I pick his tone I put my spoon down and look at him. "We appreciate what you are doing for us, really. But you know we've been stranded in that island for two weeks, two weeks too long if you ask me; and as you should know we have families that must be worried about us… so I was wondering if there was a possibility that we could contact them"

Big Juma looked at Chris for a long while and through all that while Chris held onto his gaze.

"Mr. Jericho, I'm a big fan of yours; and there is nothing more that I'd like to do than to help you… but you see, I have a business here, and I can't jeopardize it… you see… I can't simply pull on the nearest port and drop you off; it would be too risky for me and my associates"

I look from one man to another, expecting something to happen. Jumbo has just admitted he has some kind of fishy business going on… and it could range from drug trafficking to a great number of things!

Chris and I are just in the middle of it all, trapped with no place to go.

"But I tell you what I can do. We are in international waters now… so I guess I can allow you one call" He puts out of his pocket a notepad and scribbled down something. "There is a small village I can take you to, I doubt there are phones there or anyone who can speak English, so you need to make sure to tell the person you call where this place is because once I drop you there is no turning back"

I blink, going over what he is saying in my mind. He will let us go just like that… but to an African village, a poor African village… and he will allow us one call…

"I think that would do for us"

The man sighs. "Then let's bring more wine, you'll need it. I've been in that place and believe me, is not a pretty sight, especially not to people like you" He laughs, and I can say that I don't like that laugh. "Someone bring a phone to my WWE friends, Big Juma will help them get back home!"

As soon as Juma ordered the wine and the phone those things are brought immediately and both are handed to us. We take the phone, but the wine remains untouched where it was placed. After a short discussion, Chris and I agree that we should call my dad.

It's the obvious answer, but when I take the phone in my hand and dial his number I feel a lump in my throat that gets worse when I hear someone answer at the other side.

"Hello"

I take a deep breath, blinking a few times to keep my eyes from leaking out. "Mom" I say in a whisper when I manage to speak, I've never been so happy to hear such a trivial word as a hello. But then she becomes silent and for a moment I think she hung up on me… that's until I hear her crying. "Mom, don't cry it's me…"

"Who is this?" Another voice, harsh and demanding like only daddy can become.

"Daddy, it's me, Stephanie" I have to blink again to keep my cool. I don't know what's with me, even when there were times were my sanity menaced to leave me I have managed to hold to it… I had managed to keep some sort of cool and it's now tumbling down.

It's like everything is downing on me, the accident, the woman who got sucked out of the plane as I watched… the whole past two weeks… and now it will end. I'm going home, Chris is going home on and everything will go back to the way it was…

"Stephanie?" There is a long pause and I have to take a deep breath because if I speak my voice will crack and I don't want that to happen when Chris is looking. "Steph where are you? We've been looking for you… my God is this really you?"

"Yes… I um…" I look at the paper in front of me and try to read the name of the village Juma wrote. But I can't, it looks blurry and I don't understand what it says.

I feel Chris' hand on my back and I push the phone in his direction so that he could speak to my dad and tell him everything he needs to know.

And as Chris speaks to him I wipe at my stupid eyes and wait for him to finish, staring off to the distance as I breathe some calmness into me.

Chris is brief and straight to the point because Juma is signaling the call must end, but at least he got the message across.

"So, my friends… I guess all we have to do now is take you to the village, so be merry, for your journey back home begins now"

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

YAY!!! We got to the 100 reviews!! Thank you all for sticking with this and of course, for reviewing! Now this chapter is a special bonus, I was not going to write it and it doesn't add much to the story… it's more like a short treat for three of my most faithful reviewers and their analysis of this on twitter. So Dodjet, DarkZoul & wrasslinlvr20, the casa is behind but they still have each other lol. Also big thanks to HBKloverHBK for always saying nice words and encouraging me to write more, to austrian-wunderkind I hope you feel better and that you enjoy this as well, to Y2JLvr and Nell for reviewing last chapter and to everyone who has reviewed at some point.

A/N: Happy Birthday to Stephanie McMahon… and to Ash Irvine!!

Enough rambling! Enjoy this short piece…

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It was written in the stars that today was going to be a day for great changes.

And God knows I've been waiting for those changes, ever since I set foot on that island I've prayed, hoped and dreamed for them to come. But now that said changes have come and we are finally out of there I can't help but to feel uncertain about things to come.

Could it be that I'm feeling nostalgic about the things I left behind?

Maybe… I guess that after a while I just got used to the island; to the casa and the wild weather, to living in the open and to glance up to the sky at night to see a manifestation of sparkling stars circling around the moon. I got used to all that, and even when I never thought I would day this I know I'll miss everything.

Then there is Chris… I got used to him with such an ease and of everything I'm going to miss him the most.

But really, what can I do? The cosmos wanted it that way and who am I to argue? I can only play along and make the best out of this.

Like Big Juma said, our journey back home begins right now and once we make it to that village we will be one step closer to going back to what's real.

It was bound to happen sooner or later and I should be happy about it… I mean I'm going to get my life back. I'm going to have back the security of my home… a real place in which I don't have to worry that it will fall over my head after being brutalized by strong winds and copious rain.

I'm going to get my life back, a better life, a safer life… the only catch is that in that real life I'm going back to I don't get Chris.

As if sensing that my thoughts are on him, I feel Chris finally getting into bed, the mattress sinking under his weight as he makes his way to me.

After dinner was done and a long conversation about wrestling, African Villages and more wrestling followed it, Big Juma got called by one of his _associates_ and for that reason he let us back to our room. But according to what he said, we are by now on our way to this village he is going to let us in and we should be there first thing in the morning.

Which is a good thing… I can't even begin to imagine how would it be like to spend a night in a poor African village.

Actually, I don't think I want to know how it's like even by daylight, but once again, what can I do? Is either African village or African mobsters… or whatever these people are.

"Are you asleep?" Chris asks, climbing on top of me as if there wasn't enough room for him on this huge bed. Not that I'm complaining… I still haven't gone back to my real life and it's only in that life that I push men away and feign been asleep.

At least that's what I did with Paul…

But not with Chris, not now. I'm still going through the transition of one life to the other and I don't think it will hurt anybody to still cling to him now.

So with that thought I wrap my arms around him and let him settle close to me. "It wasn't so bad… was it?" I say in a nonchalant manner, thinking about the island and our time there.

"Are talking about dinner or about you talking with your father?"

I shake my head, talking with my father left me for a while into an emotional mess… but I was able to kick out of it without making him know how much it affected me…

"I'm talking about everything" I say opening my eyes to look at him. "Well, everything after the crash… because that was pretty bad"

A soft smile forms on his lips as his studies my face. "No it wasn't; but I can be biased because any time I get to spend with you will never be bad for me"

I roll my eyes playfully. "Right"

"Why, it's true, haven't you noticed that I can't keep my hands away from you, you have me bewitched" He says and as if to prove his words with actions his left hand wanders up my thigh and to my waist, tracing the brim of my panties with the tip of his fingers.

"Oh no, I never noticed that… but now that I think about it it must have been the lizards, I mean… I know I have no power to bewitch people. Maybe those things are aphrodisiacal in nature… or it could have been the water from the lake"

What the hell would I know… maybe it was the solitude and having no one else but me, because if I know one thing is that in our real life nothing of this would have happened.

He snorts. "You are my only aphrodisiac. You and those lips…" He takes a moment to kiss me before going on. "And your skin" Another pause and then his lips are on that spot in my throat that likes to be treated. "And your eyes…" He gives me one last kiss on my eyelids.

"You are silly" I smile, my hands sliding down his back until they reach the soft flesh were his pants are supposed to be. "And you are naked" I say watching the smirk that forms on his face as he hovers over me.

"Am I? Then I wonder why are you still wearing this?" He speaks his last words while his hand slide underneath the shirt I'm wearing… which by the way happen to be his.

I bit on my lips, trying to suppress the silly smile that wants to spread on my face. "Yeah… I didn't want to catch a cold"

His wandering fingers explore at will, leaving a warm trail behind as they roam their way up. They tease at my flesh, cupping and feeling and taking all they can why I let it happen.

I sigh, closing my eyes once again as he pushes the fabric of the shirt out of his way so that his lips can follow the burning trail his fingers just left imprinted in me.

And if his fingers felt pleasantly warm, his lips and tongue feel even better; they feel like fire, consuming everything they leave behind and waking up in me a need that only he can satiate.

No matter how many times we do this he will always leave me a quivering fool under his touch.

I think I'm the one who got bewitched… and now I don't know how to break away from his spell.

While he tenderly feasts on me, I bury my fingers in his hair, encouraging him to go on and just allowing my body to enjoy him. I don't think I want to break free of this spell… but then he stops, kneeling between my legs and pulling me up to him.

I whimper at the lost sensation but I have no choice but to sit up and face him, his cobalt blue orbs digging deep into mine.

"So are you going to tell me now why you got mad at me?" He asks, and one would think that he would wait for my answer before pulling the shirt off and leaving me in nothing but my panties; but he doesn't wait for anything.

He just takes it off and tosses it away.

Do we really need to talk about this while my skin wants his touch back?

"I'm not mad at you" I whisper to him and I'm really not… at least not entirely… at least not now. I knew what I was getting myself into when I acceded into this madness with him and that now I don't want to let go is no one's fault but my own.

But now is not the time to think about that, now is the time for us; after all this could be our last time. So as his eyes try to search the truth in mine I kneel in front of him and claim his lips with mine.

Like I said, I could never get tired of him and I take on the mission of memorizing everything about tonight. To the way he responds and gives everything into the kiss, to the way his breath mingles with mine in those short moments we need pull away.

I take on all of this, his touch getting engraved in my skin as my own fingers make a slow trajectory all over his body, ending on that special spot that shows me that he wants this as much as I do.

I break away from his lips, my eyes meeting his and thus getting lost into those darkened blues of his.

"Steph…" He begins to say in that raspy voice of his that sends slight tremors all over me but I cut him up by pressing my lips to his once again, resuming the kiss right where we left it as my hand works on him in a slow but steady pace that makes him moan into my mouth.

I love this, I like the way he reacts to me and the way he pulses in my hand… and I may be repetitive on this, but I could never get tired of him. And it's not only this physical aspect that draws me to him, it's all of him. I love his laugh and his silly humor, I love his stubbornness and determination… and I love that he seems to think about me first before thinking on him…

That's it, I love all of him and for that same reason I need to start detaching myself from him.

But not tonight…

Not when he slides away the remaining barrier between us so he could touch me as intimately as I'm touching him, his fingers probing my heated center… making me feel wanton and flushed all over.

Making me forget about everything but the sensation of his hands on me, of his fingers in me.

"Chris" I chant in a broken whisper that he swallows with his lips.

No… I can't detach myself from him now… not when he lays me on my back and definitely not when his lips take once again the task his fingers gave up; lips and tongue exploring my intimacy until leaving me trembling and aching from a desperate need of him.

I want this, I need this… and tonight is our night, our last night?

I don't know about that, but I try to push all those thoughts out of my mind and just let my body be the dictator of what happens tonight, and like many other nights before this one what my body wants is him.

All my body gets is him…

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Sorry guys that it took me so long to update this, I was having some creative problems… well, I still have them but I'll do what I can to get this going. Once again I want to thank you for sticking to this, I really appreciate all your reviews so keep them coming…

**A/N**: This can be, no, I'm sure this is completely inaccurate so please bear with me… oh and I have nothing against America… or Africa O_O

Enjoy!

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Mornings are supposed to mark the beginning of everything; a new day, new possibilities and countless of opportunities for us to grab. My mom always told me that, she's a morning person and still to this day she holds the belief close to her heart that all happiness depends on a leisure breakfast…

Well, it all sounds like a bunch of crap to me, especially today… especially after that breakfast.

And it's not like breakfast was bad, I mean there was a whole bunch of food to pick from; hell, there was enough food to feed an entire African village… I guess, but what do I know right?

Anyway, all that food was a nice change after a strict diet of lizards, but for some reason I was not able to enjoy it and amidst all the talk and suggestions that we should stay in the yacht a while longer, I was only able to stomach a toast and some fruit.

Chris insisted that I should eat some more, and only for his sake was that I nibbled that toast. I think Juma noticed all that because after all food was gone and all the talk was talked, he sent one of his… women, to pack me some food for me to take. After all who knew when would we be able to eat something decent…

That comment only aggravated my apprehension and my doubts, because as much as I want to go home I don't want to be left in an African village. But it is what it is and as the sun shows his face to the world to see, the yacht reaches our destination and after an awkward farewell Chris and I are escorted to the coast… my feeling of dread only grows stronger.

I don't think this day is full of possibilities, maybe possibilities to get lost, hurt or forever stranded in this place. I don't like those possibilities.

"So this is Africa" Chris says once our escort leaves us to our luck. He is holding one of the backpacks that were given to us and while I take a look around he puts it on his back.

You see, this smuggler, drug dealer or whatever he is that rescued us from the island gave us two backpacks with some food, water, a change of clothes and a piece of paper that we are supposed to show around if we get in trouble… oh we were also allowed to take some of our personal stuff, the rest of our things stayed in the yacht.

"Yay" I say, not fully meaning it…

Chris turns to me and takes the backpack out of my tight grip. "You want me to carry this for you?"

I let out a deep sigh, I don't want him to carry it for me, I just want to get home and be over with all of this. "No, I can take it"

As I say this he helps me to put it on my back and when he is done he turns me around so that I can face him. "There, you look like a cute Dora"

I frown at him but before I can ask him who the hell is Dora he kisses me lightly.

"So… this is… I don't know, should we get going?"

I tear my eyes away from him and take another look around, not able to control my lips from pouting. I don't know about Africa or its villages, but I was kind of expecting this to be a fisherman's village, I mean it's on the coast and it's not like there is a supermarket where these people can buy their goods... but there is no fisherman here, no boats or anything that resembles this to be inhabited.

"I guess…" I look back to him, trying to find something in his eyes that will tell me I'm not the only one scared to death here, is he as apprehensive as I am? If he is he is not showing it… on the other hand I have a lot of things on my mind, some of them ridiculous and incomprehensible… like what if the people here turn out to be cannibals or something like that?

Juma would have mentioned that wouldn't he? I don't think he would want his dear Jericho to be roasted and eaten. But there are worse things too, like civil war. What if he get caught in the middle of one?

Chris takes my hand, forcing me out of my wild thoughts. "Are you all right?"

"Fine as I'll ever be"

He leans into me once more and kisses me tenderly, stealing with his lips all my apprehension; that's when I know that as long as he's with me I'll be fine, everything will be fine.

He pulls away and smiles, looking into my eyes as I look into his. This has a great calming effect on me and when we begin to walk forward I feel no fear… kind of cliché and all but it's true.

Now, once we walk out of the beach we find a dirt road and on it we see the first inhabitants of this place. They don't look hostile; in fact they seem to shy away with our presence, especially when Chris attempts to talk to them.

Maybe they take us for bothersome tourist… maybe missioners or something like that, what do I know, the fact is that they decide to ignore us and even when I'm glad they don't want to eat us I feel kind of bad.

"This is going to be harder than I thought"

"At least they are not hostile" I say clinging to his arm. We keep walking, and at some point we see a bunch of kids, dressed in discolored clothes and barefoot playing with a rusty bicycle.

Unlike the previous natives the kids smile to us, wave and keep doing their thing.

"What, were you expecting them to be cannibals?"

"Of course not… well, maybe"

"Stephers, a woman who is as brilliant like you… cannibals?" He chuckles.

"Well pardon my ignorance, but I read once that there are like cannibals tribes in the Amazon… who's to say there are none in Africa…"

"Anyway…" He says with emphasis. "I think that there must be, or has been some kind of missioners on this village, I mean they don't look surprised to see us walking out of nowhere and into their village"

I nod, looking around and spotting the first houses. I don't like the look of them, and it's not to be disparaging or anything but they are nothing but a group of shacks scattered around.

"Juma said no one here spoke English, what are we going to do and how is daddy supposed to find us here?" I ask, letting out some of the doubts that has been on my mind.

Chris pulls me closer to him. "We'll get out of here, we just…"

We are interrupted when a man blocks our way. I immediately squeeze Chris' hand and I can feel my eyes bulging out of their sockets, it's all I can do because this man does intimidate me. He is tall, muscled and I just don't like that we are in his village.

"Red Cross?" He says in a heavy accent.

"No red cross, do you have phone?" Chris asked very slowly, if he feels as intimidated as I do he is not showing it.

"No Red Cross?" He asks again and I fight the urge to tell him we are the Red Cross, and I would… if only I wouldn't be petrified where I stand.

Chris puts his hand in his ear, mimicking as if he was talking on a phone. "We phone home"

There, I would have laugh at that, but the situation does not allow me to.

"American?"

I get out of my trance and pull at Chris hand. "Say no to that" I mumble and the man looks at me with a severe look on his face, once again I'm petrified.

"Canadians" Chris says at last and the man smiles, showing us all his perfectly white teeth.

"Canada" He yelps with a laugh and then motions us to follow him.

I don't know how to feel about that but at least he seems in an improved good mood, what I wonder is how he would have reacted if Chris told him we are Americans…

He walks in front of us and I pull at Chris' hand again, when I get his attention I whisper. "God I almost had a heart attack"

"Tell me about it"

After a long walk the man halts, turns around and motion us to do the same. He then begins to speak a language that neither Chris or I understand, but that doesn't keep him from talking, and as he talks we just stare at him.

I hope that whatever he is saying is not bad for us, I mean for all we now he is telling us with detail the way we are going to die…

But then amidst all his talk he puts his hand on his ear, just like Chris did a few minutes ago and says "Phone"

"Yes" Chris says pointing at me and then at himself.

Then man points at Chris. "You phone" then he points at me. "She here"

Now I don't need to be a genius to understand that he wants me to stay here while he and Chris go somewhere else.

"No" Chris says and I feel relieved at that. The last thing I want is to be left here, alone in this weird place while Chris disappears. But the man seems adamant in what he is saying and when Chris turns to me and takes my face in his hands I know he will leave me here.

I shake my head, unable to form words or to spill them out.

"It will only be for a while, I'll be back soon, I promise"

I keep shaking my head, how could he even consider it?

"Listen, do you want to get out of here?" His tone is calm, almost soothing but I can' bite to it, I just can't.

"Of course I do" I manage to say without breaking down, I can't believe he is going to leave me here.

"Then I need to find that phone and chances are that he can take me to one. So I can either go with him or stay here with you for God only knows how long" He takes his hands away from me and then reaches for his backpack, he takes out the paper Juma gave us. "If anyone, anyone comes near you show them this"

He puts the paper in my hand and I stare at it, what am I supposed to do with a piece of paper if he never comes back? We don't know for sure who is this man and if he indeed has a phone.

But Chris doesn't seem to mind that, he just kisses me and leaves with the man. I watch him go, in shock and a bit perplexed.

He left me here.

For a while I just stand immobile, watching them both disappear into a building that seems made out of stones.

He left me…

I blink the tingly feeling in my eyes off and take a deep breath, then, when I'm calm enough and more to my senses I take a look around. There are not a lot of people around, just desolation and dry weather. I sit on a rock and take the backpack off my back, hugging it to my chest and watching the few people that are around go on with their lives as I wait, all by myself.

After a while that seems like an eternity, a girl that seems no more than ten and skinny as she can be approaches me. She sits in front of me, her hands supporting her face as she studies me.

I force a smile and she gives me one of her own, but then she becomes all serious again and keeps her watch on me. I look away, to the trees, to a few dogs that roam around and then I look back at her. I can't help but to feel a bit awkward that she is still staring at me.

I bite my lower lip and she does the same, then she gives me a big smile. I chuckle, taking out of my backpack a sandwich Big Juma gave me and hand it out to her. She gets up to her feet immediately and takes it, then she runs away and once again I'm all alone.

I sigh; looking at the building Chris went into, hoping to see him walking out. But he doesn't… and that only worries me.

So as I wait and consider if it would be wise to get into the building to see what is going on, I feel a sharp pain and then a burning sensation on my wrist. I jump startled and when I look, much to my horror I see a small snake curling at my feet.

"Oh my God" I yelp while getting up to my feet; my immediate reaction is to smash the damn creature with my foot, and once it's dead I look at my wrist and see two small punctures.

Is all I need to begin to panic.

"Chris!" I yell, but instead of Chris an old woman comes to me, takes a close look at the smashed snake and then she starts to talk. I don't understand a word she is saying and as my whole arm begins to feel numb and heavy she pushes me and makes me walk away.

"It was a snake, it bit me!" I say to her and she talks some more nonsense until we get into one of the houses. "It bit me! Oh my God"

My chest feels tight, my heart is bumping in frenzy and the woman keeps talking. "Where is Chris? God…"

I try to walk away but the woman pushes me into a chair, then out of nowhere she takes a needle and buries it into my arm.

"What the hell are you doing? What is that?" At this point I'm screaming at her, I know it but I can control it. All I have in my mind is that I'm going to die with an awful metallic taste in my mouth, in the middle of nowhere and all because of a snake.

I survived a plane crash only for a snake to kill me!

"Steph!" I hear Chris and I look for him with my eyes. When I see him he is already on his way to me and when he gets to me he kneels in front of me.

"What happened? What is it?" He looks worried and pale as his hands roam my body, searching for something wrong and not able to find it.

Can't he see it, my arm must have swollen ten times its normal size and he can't see it?

"It bit me!" I yell, suddenly finding it very hard to breath. "You left me there and it bit me Chris, why did you leave me there…? And then this woman injected me, what did she do?" I keep rambling and I'm not sure what else I'm saying and screaming, I just know that at some point he grabs me face in his hands and forces me to look into his eyes.

"Calm down, you are panicking"

"No you calm down!" I say pushing him away, ignoring the look he is giving me. I stand up and once again the woman pushes me to the chair.

"Don't touch me!" I yell at her and as Chris did she takes my face in her leathered hands.

She speaks to me… almost chanting and I just stare at her, entranced. Somehow I begin to feel calmer, and as I stare at her, my eyes wide and wild she starts to rub some kind of gooey substance in my arm.

All this I watch in silence, my breathing going back to normal until she blows some nasty smoke in my face. I cough but she keeps chanting her words, smoking her tobacco or whatever it is…

And through this thing she is doing all I can think is that I hate Africa…

TBC…


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you all for the reviews, they make me a very happy person! One thing, I'm not too happy with this chapter, it's kind of rushed and I just can't warm to it. I promise to try and make the next one better xD

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A deep sense of calmness has taken over me, making me feel as if my body is floating brokenly through the sky, as if the wind is carrying me to a land far, far away… a strange land of mysteries. I don't know if this sensation was provoked by exhaustion of the spirit or by the strange rituals the old woman made on me, but the thing is that this feeling has been with me for awhile.

And while my body floats away my eyes are fixed on my wrist, staring at the two swollen punctures imprinted there as if expecting to see right through them… and who knows, maybe I can. Maybe if I will my eyes to it I might get a peek at my flesh and bones.

As I try to see past my broken skin I hear someone talking. The voice comes from outside and is soon joined by another… both of them speaking a strange language that I don't understand.

Nothing new… I see that even when I've been floating around I'm still in Africa.

The interruption of the sepulchral silence that reigned the poorly lit room makes Chris' hand move once again, resuming the motion of his fingers running through my hair.

I think that for a moment he dozed off… and because I know he thinks I'm still sleeping I make no movement that would tell him otherwise. I just lay still and allow him to soothe me with his tender touch.

He has been here for a while, sitting in a chair behind me as I lay in the hard bed I was left to rest… and just as I lay immobile so does he; only his fingers move through my hair… and during all the time he's been with me he has spoken no word, neither have I.

Maybe he thinks I'm angry… but I'm not, I'm just… calm, numb; floating around and waiting to land on my own two feet.

"Steph…" His voice is a soft whisper, a bit hoarse from the lack of use. I wonder if I made a movement that gave away my state of being awake or if he is just trying to wake me up; whatever it is it prompted his hand to slide down my arm.

He moves me, making me turn around so that I'm now looking at him… guess there is no pretending now. But I don't speak; I just stare deep into his blue orbs while he scans my face.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, his fingers returning to my hair as I just stare at him. For a while that's all I do, until he rest his forehead to mine and breathes from my breathing.

"Please don't be mad at me…" He whispers and my heart shrinks one size… but still I say nothing, I can't, not now that my throat is dry and there is huge lump there.

Maybe saying nothing is for the best… after all I do need to detach myself from him and I can't wait until we get back home to do it.

But how can I do that when his lips kiss mine? Sure, it's just a light peck but it's a peck from his lips, how can I ever detach myself from those lips? From those eyes?

The time to do so is near… ad much as I hate it.

He draws back a little and his hands cradle my face, his thumbs moving over my cheeks in a tender caress. "Don't cry… God this is my fault and you are right on being mad at me, I just… I shouldn't have left you there" He pulls me up until I'm in a sitting position. "I'm so sorry"

When I'm about to speak for the first time since my embarrassing panic attack this morning, when I'm about to tell him that I'm not crying I realize that I am.

It's not an attack of sobs or anything like that, just a few imprudent tears that leaked out. I clumsily try to wipe them away with my good hand; the last thing I want is for him to see me cry.

But before I can do or say anything, the old woman makes an appearance, carrying with her some kind of cup that she brings to me.

Chris lets go of my face but doesn't move from his spot at my side, and when the woman motions me to drink the content of the cup I'm very tempted to shake my head no.

I think she read apprehension in my eyes because she is now talking that language of hers, nearing the cup to my lips as her hand rest on my stomach.

"I'm not hungry…" I say stupidly, fully knowing that she can't understand… but hey, she is also talking and I don't understand a word she is saying.

Chris takes the cup from the woman's hands and takes a look at it, he even goes as far as to taste it, and as he does that the woman changes her attention to him, now talking to him.

"I don't think she'll leave until you drink it" He says when his inspection is done.

"I don't want to drink it" I speak, at last.

The woman takes the cup from Chris and starts to speak more animatedly, motioning me to drink it… and because I'm not in my right mind and she is starting to annoy me I take the cup and drink it…

Now, I don't know what was that… only that it was extremely sweet, almost to the point of making me gag. At least that makes her happy and she finally leaves, but not before smiling a huge toothless grin and resting her hand over my stomach once again.

Then Chris and I are left alone, and once again I lay on my side… only that this time I'm facing him instead of showing my back to him.

Chris rests his head on the wooden bed, almost touching mine while his body remains on the chair. For a while neither of us speak and his fingers go back to do their thing, this time venturing down to my face.

"We'll get out of here soon, your father already sent a pilot our way… he should arrive any time now"

I nod, not sure how to feel about that… I don't want to get into another plane but I know that's our only way out of here.

"And once we get out of here we'll get home and we can go back to normal, hopefully by then you won't be mad at me…"

"I'm not mad at you" I'm just resigned, getting used to the idea that we are indeed going back to normal, and in that normalcy this man is not for me… he's already somebody else's. I sigh, my lips pouting only with thought of not having him with me. "I'm just tired"

He kisses my temple, his lips lingering on my skin for a moment before pulling away. "You should be mad at me, God only knows what would have happened if that woman hadn't been around… I would never forgive myself if something happened to you…"

"I'm fine…" I said and I'm telling the truth. My arm feels bigger than it should and it itches a bit, I also feel a bit disoriented but that's not to grave. It could have been a lot worse… of course, the first thing I'll do when I get back to civilization is visit a doctor, I don't want to take risks. "Nothing that some sleep won't fix"

"Then sleep, I'll be here when you wake up"

I close my eyes just so I don't have to look into his eyes… but then I start to drift off, his touches lulling me to sleep…

*~*~*~*

"Steph… Stephers, wake up Princess"

I grumble, trying to push out of my mind the voice that is calling my name… but then I realize that the voice is not in my mind but whispering in my ear.

"Steph"

I open my eyes and when I do I see Chris' smiling face hovering over mine. It takes me a while to remember where we are, the hard surface underneath me a cruel reminder.

I try to sit, but a wave of dizziness invades me and I have to lay down again, closing my eyes and mumbling under my breath that I don't want to wake up.

"Come on sleepy head" He helps me to sit and I have to rest against him, my limbs failing me while everything spins around me.

Now I feel awful and I wonder if it has anything to do with the thing the old woman gave me. It has to, because I wasn't feeling like this before drinking it.

"I think I'm going to throw up" I mumble, but thankfully I don't. I still remain motionless, just in case because I don't want a sudden movement to make me feel ill. All the while Chris holds me, and if I would have indeed throw up I would have done so all over him…

"Better?" He asks after a while and I nod. "Good, because I wouldn't want you to puke your way towards the helicopter"

"What helicopter?" I ask, pulling away from him to take a look at his face.

"The one that will take us out of here… that's if you decided to get out of bed"

I blink a couple of times and before I can react to the news he is pulling me to my feet. Once I'm up he allows me some time so I can settle, but then he starts to walk away, dragging me with him.

"Do you want me to carry you?"

"No…" I say while trying to cope with everything, my mind still feeling fuzzy.

Are we really going home, after all this time?

On our way out we find the old woman, Chris thanks her and I do too, but I don't think she understands, she just smiles and waves us goodbye and off we go.

Africa… what a mysterious Continent… I hope never to come back here! As we walk to the helicopter, I notice that all these people whom once I thought to be cannibals keep going on with their lives as the buzzing machine stands in the middle of their village, only the kids seem to take any interest on it… and obviously Chris and I do too.

But we care because this is our ticket to go back home… and the one thing that will end something that perhaps should have never started.

But it is what it is…

When the pilot sees us he greets us and introduces himself; he says that he will takes us as far as Spain; from there we will take a plane back home.

So after that brief introduction we get into the helicopter and out of Africa we go… thank God for that.

The journey is a long one, but not as long as the one from Spain to the States. I sleep most part of the way, and the time I couldn't sleep I spent it on Chris' arms, the two of us submerged deep in our own thoughts while I enjoying with a sense of sadness this quiet time I'm spending with him.

If I have to be completely honest, the dread of having to let him go is much stronger than the fear I have that this jet would crash too; so for what could be the last time I cling to him, waiting for all to be over so I can learn how to live without him.

Corny, I know… but this is not something I want, if it were for me I would talk my heart into not breaking, I would teach it to let go…

Maybe I can, we just spent together a little over two weeks and that's not a lot of time if you come to think about it… but then again we went through so much, I owe him so much.

As I muse over my feelings and how I'm going to get over him, the pilot announces our arrival. Part of me feels relieved because I'm home, I'm finally home. But there is this other part of me that doesn't want to get off this plane, as if staying here will take off the fact that once we walk past that gate we will be over.

"Are you ready for this?" Chris asks, he doesn't seem bothered in the slightest…

"I don't know" I admit, rubbing my hands together because I don't know what else to do with them, I don't want to grab him and beg him to stay with me.

"We'll be ok" He kisses me and for a moment I almost believe him, I want to…

But then he pulls away and I know it's time to get off this thing and face reality. So we both stand and walk out, each step making me feel more nervous, not only because the deal with Chris, but because I'm getting my life back.

When we finally step out I immediately spot Shane, and he must have seen me too because he hurries to me and when he is in front of me he hugs me, lifting me up as I wrap my arms around his neck.

Then it's not only Shane but mom, dad and Shane wife's too. They all hug me and amidst tears I hug them and kiss them all, never realizing how much I missed them until this very moment.

This is home, this is my life…

Mom is very emotional, after all she thought me dead and she just got me back; so as daddy talks about how he has managed to keep that Chris and I are back amongst the dead off the media, at least for now, I give her one big hug, my eyes take the chance to look at Chris.

He is having a little family reunion of his own… I don't know any of them but I venture to guess that the little blonde that is hugging him is the wife.

I have to look away.

"Daddy, I want to go home" I say after getting off mom's hold. "I just want to go home"

He kisses my cheek and smiles. "Whatever you want princess"

With that we all walk away, I do it without looking back at Chris because I don't want to see him with his wife… she has all the right and I don't. We walk to the parking lot and in that parking lot, right beside out limo I see Paul.

He is just standing there and I hesitantly walk to him… it's not like have any other option; I mean he is standing in my way.

He smiles and without giving me any chance he pulls me to him, taking me up into his arms as my own arms hung limply at my sides.

"God Steph… I thought I would never see you again" He kisses my forehead and the act takes me aback, after all we are going through a divorce and the last time we saw each other things were not cozy.

"Well here I am" I say pulling away and giving him an awkward smile.

"What the hell happened to your arm?" He asks taking my hand in his as my mom walks to check it out.

"I got bit by a snake" I say and they all freak out, taking my arm and talking about doctors and hospitals as they drag me into the limo.

So this is it, I finally get my life back…

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

YAY, thank you guys, you have made this story my most reviewed one! I'm really glad and I enjoy reading all the reviews (some of them give me a few ideas and I even put some of what you wanted or suggested in this one) so keep them coming, even if it's to tell me this blows!

Anyway… I, hope you will be able to enjoy this chapter like you did the others O.o

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This is too much.

If they keep acting like this I'll have no choice but to get up on my feet and run away; destination anywhere but here. And it's not like I'm not happy to see them, because I really am; but they keep bombarding me with questions and showing me an obsessive attention and they are just driving me crazy.

I feel overwhelmed, even suffocated.

"Are you sure you are okay?" I feel mom's hand come to rest against my forehead, probably checking if all of a sudden I got a fever. I don't, but I will give her five full minutes before she checks again.

"Mom, I'm fine… really" I say for the umpteenth time as I take her hand away from my forehead. Of course, because I don't want to upset her, I keep her hand in mine, giving her a reassuring squeeze that will hopefully convince her that I'm indeed fine.

I wonder how is he doing and if he is missing me even the slightest bit… probably not, it's too soon.

"I know… it's just…" A broken sigh comes past her lips and she chokes on it before she starts to cry again.

"Mom" I say, giving her hand another squeeze. I wish she would stop breaking down because of me.

"It's nothing" She waves me off before wiping her tears away. "I'm just so happy to see you. I had resigned myself that I lost you, that I was never going to see you again… but you are here, my poor baby girl"

I pout, still holding her hand as her watery eyes scan my face. On our way here daddy told me everything about the memorial service they did on my name, and I must say that hearing about that was just disturbing. Even when Big Juma told us that we were given up for dead, nothing would have prepared me to hear that eerie tale where I could clearly picture them all dressed in black while staring at a big picture of me… I could never imagine how they must have felt at that moment.

This is really like a bad elaborated movie… I bet Chris would agree with me.

"Do you need anything, something to drink?" That's Shane, and before I can even reply he puts a cup of coffee in my hand; he then kisses me in the cheek and walks to his wife.

"Black coffee, are you serious? She doesn't like black coffee…" Paul says taking the cup out of my hand and snorting. "Besides, if you give her this she'll be awake for a whole week?"

I watch in silence as Shane takes the cup from Paul's hand, giving him a weird look as Paul crosses his arms across his chest. "Of course she likes black coffee. Steph, do you like black coffee?"

"I… well, not really… but I can drink it" I mumble just to make him happy. The truth is that I don't like it much, but I've been drinking it my whole life and I'm used to the taste. Black coffee is a must when working with daddy…

Shane smirks at Paul, handing me the cup as he does so, but out of nowhere comes dad and before I can even move he takes the small white cup and drinks it all in one gulp.

"Dad, that was Steph's coffee!" Shane complains before turning to his wife. "He drank her coffee and now I have to take care of the bill and I can't get her another one, God!" He turns to me and gives me a brief hug. "I'm sorry, I promise I'll get you the best coffee when we get out of here" With that he leaves… one McMahon less, three more to go.

Dad doesn't seem to mind; in fact I don't think he even noticed that the coffee wasn't for him or that Shane left the room. He is engaged in a heated discussion on his phone and when he is on his phone the world can crumble all around him and he will give no attention to it.

It's good to know that they haven't all changed; me on the other hand feel like an alien, I'm not myself anymore.

But back to daddy, he's been at his phone for a while now, and from what I've heard, it seems like the news that Chris and I are back from the dead leaked out and there is already a great number of reporters gathered around the building, waiting for me to walk out.

That's just insane.

"Steph, Declan wants to say hi" Marissa says while she presses her phone against my ear.

I smile, saying hi to my oldest nephew, and if anything has tugged at my heart since walking into this hospital is hearing that little voice. This is why it's so good to be home…

"Goddamit!" Daddy blurts out in his raspy voice as he hangs up his phone, he looks beyond pissed and his pacing tells me that he is beyond pissed.

Marissa takes the phone away from me and the story Declan was telling me is cut short, I stare at dad. "What is it?"

"Someone at the airport called the news and now everybody is going crazy about this. You are all over the news and there are reporters at Titan, at home and there are even more on Chris' tail… I hope this damn hospital doesn't decide to give away your whereabouts" He says and in a flash he storms out of the room.

And as everything sinks in all I can think about is Chris…

I hope he is not having too much trouble with this reporters' thing and I hope daddy can fix this as soon as possible. Last thing I need is a media circus all over me.

"Well, I guess it's up to me to get you your shot of coffee, uh?" Paul says as he approaches me, and once he's right in front of me his hand brushes mine.

Now Paul… I don't recognize this Paul and I'd be lying if I said that this new attitude of his doesn't disconcert me. I mean, our break up was not a war of two people who once thought to love each other, but more like a separation of strangers that no longer knew each other… but even when there was not much drama things were not good… I mean he did cheat his way around.

But according to him and as he told me on our way here, this whole situation forced him to realize things… things that regard the two of us and his feelings for me.

Things he thought he would never get the chance to tell me but now that I'm back he feels the need to share…

I had to cut him off, I don't think we are in the best of moment were we should talk about that and much to my relief he left the subject there. But he is still around, accompanying me in this eternal wait, acting like the good nice husband he never was.

"Or do you want something else, something to eat?"

"Coffee is fine" I force a smile because he is really trying to be nice and I don't want to lose time and effort on hating him.

I just want to get home and sleep a thousand years, hopefully by then I won't have this hole in my soul that is expanding all over my body, consuming everything inside of me.

"Great… do you want anything?" He asks mom and Marissa and after they tell him what they want he leaves.

That's when mom starts to feel at my forehead again. I sigh, letting her do it as I stare at the wall behind Marissa, spacing out as mom talks about how I should go home with them instead of going to my place as I told them I wanted to do.

"Mrs. Levesque"

The sound of that forces my mind to come back to the room; I can't help but open my eyes wide. "It's McMahon" I say looking at the doctor that just entered the room.

I would have preferred going to my personal doctor, but mom insisted that I needed to be checked as soon as possible, that I could not take the risk of waiting until getting back home.

"Well, Mrs. McMahon… we got the toxicology results back and everything appears to be fine. Thankfully you got medical attention soon enough and that prevented any detrimental damage on you. Whoever, we did found something…"

"Oh God what is it?" Mom asks in a panic as both her hands go up to cover her mouth. "Is it bad, is she going to be okay?"

The doctor looks at me and I remember the lecture he gave us about HIPAA and why I should enter alone to the check up room. Of course, daddy threw one of his fits and the doctor had no choice but to let them all in.

But now that he is about to give some results, I guess he wants to make sure that I'm not going to sue him or something for sharing medical information in front of others. "What is it?" I ask, my mind racing and wondering on what could be wrong…

He smiles. "Well, it's nothing that won't get better in nine months, so congratulations Mrs. McMahon, you are going to be a mommy"

Clichés; I've heard and read everything about this, your heart halts for a few second, your lungs fail you and the words keep resonating inside your head like a broken disc... all the while the world stops moving.

All of that I feel.

But then I chuckle and shake my head, barely realizing that my mom is hugging me… probably that's why I can't breathe normal. "That's impossible…" I mumble, maybe I didn't hear right because there is no way I'm pregnant… and even if I was isn't this too soon to have a clear result?

"You are pregnant" Marissa says all excitedly and I feel the need to tell her to shut up, I need silence to process all this in my head…

"According to this you are four weeks along"

I laugh and for a moment I think that I won't be able to stop laughing; but I do, and when I manage to compose myself I begin to speak. "No, there must be a mistake you see…" I chuckle and take a look at my mom. She released her hold on me a few seconds ago and is now celebrating with Marissa… still she is too close and I don't really want to talk about this in front of her, so I try to come up with a way to explain this without giving details I don't want her to know. "I can't be four weeks along… the dates don't match…" I whisper, as if that will keep mom from listening.

"The dates are calculated with your last menstrual cycle, but if we rely in the fertilization date we can say that you are two weeks along; of course, we'll have to wait a few more weeks to know for sure but the results are positive and there is no doubt that you are expecting. Now if you'll excuse me I need to make another round"

With that he leaves, leaving me shocked and perplexed. My heart halts, my breathing ceases and I think I'm going to pass out.

I'm pregnant… pregnant like in I will have a baby, his baby…

As my mind tries to wrap itself around this and as the color drains out of my whole body, mom keeps her little celebration. "This is great, not only did I get you back but now you will give me a grandson… maybe a granddaughter, yes we need a little girl in the family"

Oh my God how am I going to tell him this? I feel like hyperventilating!

"Stephanie… I think this is fantastic, and I don't want to pry on your personal life, but I thought you and Paul were separated a long time before the accident, will this affect your divorce?"

I look at Marissa and blink a couple of times, not quite registering this whole thing.

I'm pregnant…

"Oh that's nonsense; of course they are not getting a divorce now. Maybe this is what you needed to fix things, all marriages have their ups and down and I'm sure…"

"It's not Paul's" I interrupt mom to drop the big news, and as soon as the words leave my mouth silence fills the room, a long eerie silence.

Now I don't know what kind of look mom is giving me but I'm pretty sure it must be a horrified one, she must think I'm a slut or something…

Chris is going to hate it too, he will hate me!

"Oh dear" She says at last, walking to a corner of the room as Marissa comes to me and holds both my hands in hers.

"Sweetie you are cold, come here" She hugs me and I feel… I don't know how I feel, all I know is that I'm in a messed up situation where I'm pregnant by a man who is not my husband, a man who is married himself.

I sniff, not wanting to cry, but I can't stop a single tear to slip down my cheek and I feel horrible about it; this is supposed to make me happy… what kind of a mother I am that not even a month pregnant and I can't feel happy…?

"It's going to be fine" Marissa whispers reassuringly and it comes as a random thought that Chris is the one supposed to be here with me… he would, if we were only in a perfect world.

But we all live in a messed up world and in this world everything works against me…

"Is it Chris'?"

Marissa asks in a whisper and I nod, feeling like crying when I should be ecstatic, after all I'm going to have a baby with the greatest man I've ever known… I'll have something of him that will never leave me, a link to him.

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know…" I say because the truth is that I don't know what to do. He should know, he is the father and he should know before anyone else; but there is another part of me that is telling me that I should not ruin his marriage, what happened in the island should have stayed in the island… only that it didn't. "What if he hates me after this?"

"He won't… how could he when you will give him this?" She says resting her hand on my stomach. My hand comes to rest there as well and I smile, imagining the life we created growing inside of me.

"I don't even know how to contact him…"

"Steph, contacting him will be the easiest part in this"

"I know" I reply while my hands rest in my stomach. "I know… I just"

God this is too much, it all feels surreal and I wonder if the drama would ever end… but something tells me that a new kind of drama is going to break loose and I'll be right in the middle of it.

"Here, you can talk to him right now" She hands me her phone and I stare at it.

"Is this her number?" I ask and I don't have to mention any names because she knows who am I referring to.

"I really don't know, I all now is that this is the number Shane used to contact his family, it could be his father's.

I shove the phone back to her. "I don't think this will work" What if I call and she answers? I'll freak out and hang up and then she will call back and Chris will know it was me and he'll think I'm a loser.

"Then I'll call, if she answers I'll warn them about the reporters and that would be it, we will try another time…"

"But what if he answers, what will I tell him?" I can't tell him I'll have his baby over the phone, that doesn't seem right… but I do want to hear him, I need to hear him only so that his voice can give me force to carry on.

"You can tell him to meet you someplace… I don't know"

After a while were my judgment fails, I give her the okay to call, and as I wait and my heart beats with the force of my worst fears, Marissa finally gets an answer.

"Mr. Irvine…? Yes…" She walks away and talks for a while. I don't know if I should feel relief or on the border of getting a panic attack.

But it seems like all I can do is wait; so I wait and wait and it's at this moment that I noticed that my mom has left the room…

"Here you go, he's on the phone" Marissa gives me the phone and walks out, she doesn't even give me the chance to tell her that I changed my mind.

Maybe it's too late to change my mind; hanging up on him will do no good, so with trembling hands I put the phone against my ear. "Hello?"

"Steph, where are you?" He asks and a wave of nostalgia hits me hard, how come that I came to fall for this man in such a short time?

Now I'll have his baby and I can't even tell him.

"I'm at the hospital" I say in a broken whisper, pulling the phone closer to me as if that will bring me to him.

"Why are you ok, is something wrong?"

"I'm fine" Just pregnant…

"Let me come there to you, just tell me where you are"

I take a deep breath to keep from breaking down, there's nothing that I want more than having him here with me but I know that's not supposed to happen. "You can't… I just, I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for me. I would never have make it back here if it weren't for you, I just wanted to tell you that…"

"Stephers…"

I sniff. "I… God I'm going to miss you so much" I laugh, trying to sound cheerful even when I'm not feeling it.

"You mean you are going to miss me or my excellent culinary skills" He replies and I can see him smiling at the other side.

"Just you"

There is moment of silence and I close my eyes, just feeling content with the fact the he is at the other side.

"I love you"

That does it, not only does my heart stops beating, but I also feel my chest growing tighter and tighter until I can't breathe and the only this that allows the precious air to come back into my lungs is a muffled sob that unblocks my passages.

For a while all I can do is that, try to keep from sobbing while he listens at the other side, and only when I swallow them down is that I'm able to speak.

"I love you too… very much, but… I, I have to go"

I hang up on him and turn off the phone, holding it to my chest as I finally break down and cry…

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

WOW! Thanks for all the great reviews, you guys always make my day with them. So here, I hope you like this chapter as well… even when it will be the last one… oh please don't hate me… I just don't know where else can I go with this. I do hope that you were able to enjoy it xD

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I'm supposed to be working, that's the main reason why I came back here; but even when catching up with the mountain of paperwork that has been accumulating over my desk for the past weeks was my main focus, I just can't just put my mind to it.

It's futile… I mean, I don't even know where to start and to be completely honest I haven't even tried. For all I'm doing here I might as well go home and do the same thing, nothing… nada. Only that I won't, I need to entertain my mind in something and what better way than with what used to consume my life prior the crash, tons and tons of work.

But that was before the crash, now everything is different and my mind doesn't revolve around work, it now resides miles away from my body… well, half of it because the other half can't get away from what's growing inside me…

I rest my hand on my stomach and lean back into the chair, taking in a deep breath as all the files and folders at my desk mock me.

Maybe I should go home, after all I've been sitting here for two hours and I have accomplished nothing other than to break a record for the longest time I've stared at a phone.

Who knows, if I keep like this I might even break a world record.

And all the time that I've been sitting here the phone has remained sleeping in its cradle, unmoving, silent… not like it could move or even ring, not after I disconnected it.

I reach forward and take it, wrapping my fingers around it as I bring it closer to me so my eyes could take a look at the small buttons imprinted with numbers. What would happen if I were to connect it and press the numbers I have already committed to memory… would he answer? Would I tell him?

I want to tell him…

I know I have to.

I take the lose cable that's resting on my desk and plug it to the phone's base, and as soon as I do that the phone starts ringing. This startles me I drop the cordless device to my lap, jumping what felt like ten feet in the air as the phone continues to ring.

"Are you going to answer that or what?"

With my heart stuck in my throat I watch as Shane enters my office, unannounced, like always; and because I'm still shaky and I know it's probably mom calling, I unplug the phone once again, the office becoming silent.

"Mom uh?" Shane says sitting in the chair in front of me and taking out of a bag some breakfast. "She called me, told me you are not answering your phone"

I sigh. "You know, it's hard to work when she calls me every five minutes to check on me, she's driving me crazy"

Shane laughs. "She's worried about you; she thinks it's too soon for you to be back at work and to tell you the truth so do I"

"Shane…"

"I know, I know, I didn't come here to lecture you, I just wanted to see my baby sister and see how you are. So how are you?" He asks as he serves me some of the food he brought with him.

Its awful food, oatmeal, toast and milk… I hate milk.

"I'm fine; I just need to put my mind back into all of this, I feel so lost and I don't know where to begin" I give him a faint smile; I do feel lost, not only work related but on every aspect of my life.

"You'll get back to it, you always do. So how's my little niece"

I chuckle, looking at him as he hands me the milk. "Niece? What if you have a nephew instead?"

"Trust me in this; I know it's going to be a girl, the McMahon's need a girl"

"Well, your _niece_ doesn't want milk, it doesn't settle well with her… well, it doesn't settle well with me but it's the same isn't?"

"Drink it, it's good for you"

"I think I'll pass, I'm taking my calcium in some yogurt"

Shane squints at me and I do the same, I know him well enough to say that he's about to drop a big one on me and whatever it is doesn't have anything to do with me not wanting to drink milk.

"So…" He begins and as a way to distract myself I reach for his orange juice and sip at it.

He says nothing and I arch an eyebrow in query. I wonder if Marissa told him my baby is not my husband's… maybe he wants to question me about it.

"You know, you have always been one hundred percent dedicated to your work. You breathe, eat and live for it… so I know you are going to make a great job once I'm gone"

I frown, taking another sip of his juice, I hope we has not planning on drinking it. "Where are you going?"

"I'm out, I'm resigning"

I blink a couple of times and I can say that I didn't choke on juice because I already swallowed it. "You are what?"

"I'm resigning. When I leave this office I'll go to dad and give him my notice"

I chuckle, not like in an amuse mode but more of a shocked one. "But… I don't understand… is everything okay with you, are the kids all right?" I chuckle once more. "You know dad is going to freak out, don't you?"

He shrugs. "I've been thinking about this for a while, I've even talked it a hundred times with Marissa and she supports me… It's something that we both want, for the kids, for us"

"But Shane, I…" I sigh while running a hand through my hair. This is the last thing I expected to hear, ever. "I don't know what to say"

"You can thank me because I'm going to keep mom and dad off your back for a long while… maybe by the time they speak to me once again you already gave birth, they might even forget you are having a baby by a man who is not your husband"

Once again I just stare at him, blinking at his words register in my brain.

"Oh you thought I didn't know?" He laughs. "Steph… I never believed you were stupid enough as to bear children with Paul… thank God I was right… you did marry him though… but that's not the point right now. I know that I can leave this Company in good hands because Paul will have nothing to do with it"

I throw my head to the desk, perhaps a little too dramatically. "I'm way more stupid than that Shane, I mean, I'm having a baby with a married man while I'm married to this other guy. I'm beyond stupid! When did it all became so complicated?"

I feel his hand on my back and then he pulls me up so he could hug me. "It's going to be all right, you'll see"

I hug him back. "I don't know Shane, I haven't even told him"

He pulls me away, taking my head between his hands. "Then what are you waiting for? I have an idea, I'll leave you alone so that you could tell him and I'll go to dad to tell him about this resignation thing. If everything goes bad we can come to each other and cry our eyes out"

I smile as he kisses my forehead. "I've never seen you crying, but I think I will after dad is done with you"

He goes up to his feet and sighs. "Believe me, I know… but hey, things might end a whole lot better for you"

I quirk my mouth as he walks to the door, my mind going over Chris and me, about our baby. I know I should tell him, but should I tell him over the phone?

That just doesn't seem right.

Maybe I could give him a call and ask him to meet me somewhere… maybe I should go home first, relax a bit and then call him. After all I need to think what I'm going to say and how I'm going to say it. I don't want to just blurt out and say, 'hey, I'm pregnant…'

"Can I come in?"

Whatever was going on in my mind fades away as I hear his voice, even when his tone is low I feel it resonating all through the office, sending shivers all the way from my head to my toes.

Slowly, I look up… feeling as if I have the most stupid expression on my face, I can just feel it! But I can't change it, I feel frozen and all I can do is stare at him.

How long has it been since the last time I saw him? Oh yeah, six days, not even a whole week… but God it feels so much longer. He looks great, but then again he always looks great. He is dressed in faded blue jeans and a white shirt, and he is just there, standing at my door, waiting for me to invite him in.

Did Shane know he was there?

"Sure…" I say once I'm able to force the words out of my mouth. Has he always been able to render me practically speechless?

And for crying out loud, why couldn't I say anything else? I mean after all we've been through I expected to be able to give more than a '_sure'_, he deserves more.

But right now I can't give him more; all I can do is look at him, watching him as he walks past the only chair available in the office and past my desk, and once he is at my side he kneels down in front of me.

Before I know it he is taking me into his arms, hugging me tight to his solid chest.

I hug him back, losing myself in his embrace, taking in his scent, the way he feels and the way my heart beats frantically inside my chest.

"I've been trying to call you" He whispers into my ear and I close my eyes, just letting my heart take joy in the moment, letting him run his fingers through my hair.

"My phone is not working" I say and that's kind of a lie.

He pulls his face back a little so that he can look at me, his blue eyes searching into mine as he cradles my face in his hands. "I've been trying to reach you for days Steph… why are you hiding from me?"

"Chris… I" I sigh, unable to finish.

He rests his forehead against mine, his hands still holding my face to him. "Is it because of what happened at the village, because of the snake? Are you still mad at me?"

"What? No…" I reply in a shaky voice. "I'm not mad at you" My hand slid to his chest and I pull it away…

"Then what is it Steph?" He asks and his voice is as shaky as mine. "Why did I need to call your brother so I could see you?"

I sniff, feeling my eyes watering behind my closed eyelids; I know that if I open them I'll start leaking… and that if I open my mouth I'll break down. So I just let my hand go to the back of his head, burying my fingers in his short blonde hair as his breathing caresses my face.

I never knew I could miss somebody so much… someone that a month ago was just one of the boys and not the father of my baby, the owner of my heart.

"Are you back with Paul, is that the reason you are evading me?" He asks, his voice sounding cold and distant.

I shake my head, that's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. I mean, Paul does want us to go back together, he even offered to take care of my baby… well, that was after the initial outburst of rage he went through.

But even when Paul has been great for the past couple of days there is no way I can go back to him, not after Chris.

"Then what is it? Because I've been thinking about it over and over, day in and day out and I still can't come up with anything, was it something I did?"

I take a deep breath, trying to collect myself. "Chris… you have been nothing but great to me, and the time we spent together was probably the best thing that ever happened to me and I will forever have that with me… but that was in the island, when it was just the two of us and nothing else mattered. We are not in the island anymore…"

"Steph…"

"And we just can't play at the island here; I mean you are married, I am married…"

"Steph"

"And we have to think about all that because in the end…"

"Steph!" He shakes me a little and I have no choice but to stop my rambling and stare into his eyes. "Do you love me?"

I smile, smiling is better than crying. "This is not about love Chris"

"That's where you are wrong; this, we are all about love" He brushes his lips to mine. "How can you even say that?"

"Chris… I… I'm pregnant" I blurt out even before I have time to react. Now the only thing to do is wait, and as I wait I can feel how his face pulls away from mine, leaving nothing but silence and a huge emptiness between us.

The truth? I'm afraid to open my eyes and see the look on his eyes. Is he mad? Shocked? Perhaps happy?

I don't know and I can't tell… I'm not even sure I want to find out.

But maybe I do want to know, why doesn't he say anything?

"Is it mine?" He asks, simple as that… not exactly what I wanted to hear.

I finally open my eyes and chuckle bitterly. "Of course it's yours, who else would it be, Big Juma?" I try to push him away because I want to walk out of here, but as I try to stand up he gently pushes me back in, he looks kind of angry.

"God I don't know Steph, you have been evading me all this time and why would you do that even when you knew you are having my baby?" He lets out a deep breath while he stares right into my eyes. "How long have you known this?"

I purse my lips, staring right back to him. I feel nervous and this is something I don't feel regularly… I mean in my life outside the island. "Since we came back"

He runs a hand through his hair, his tongue moistening his lips and for the longest time he remains in that position.

Maybe I shouldn't have told him like that…

"Why didn't you tell me before?" He asks in a cold voice and part of me dies with this, he is mad… he hates me and now he'll see me break down and cry.

"I was afraid that you were going to hate me, and I was right, I… I don't want to cause you problems so, you know, just keep going with your life and I'll have my baby… your wife doesn't even have to find out" God I don't know how I said all that without crumbling. All I know is that when I try to stand up once again he pushes me back into the chair.

"You're right I'm mad, I mean… God Stephanie, you should have told me this the minute you found out. How…" He takes another deep breath. "How can you even suggest I should walk out on you? Is that the kind of man you take me for?"

I feel a tear slide off my eye and I brush it with the back of my hand. "I don't want to break your marriage" I whisper, feeling awful, numb.

He takes my hands in his. "Steph, my marriage has the same chances of survival as yours; I think I told you this already. I am not going back to Jess and there is no way I'm going to live my life without you or our baby… and if I have to call Big Juma and ask him to take us back to that Island to have you with me you better believe that I'll do it"

"I don't want to go back there…"

"Then let's built our life here, just you and me" His voice is a soft whisper against my face and I breathe from him while his hand go to rest against my stomach. "Well, not just you and me but you know what I mean"

"Are you sure, I…"

Without letting me finish he moves his face forward and kisses me tenderly, those lips that I love and that I have missed so much just pressing against mine for a few seconds before venturing to go deeper.

I've missed this so much, I've missed all of him and I want to tell him that, so I pull away from the kiss and smile. "I love you"

"I love you too Stephers, but sometimes you think too much" He says and I find myself looking into his eyes, just staring into the blue as one of his hand rests over my stomach while the other goes up to the back of my head, pulling me into another one of his sweet kisses.

This is when I know that everything will be all right; we'll be all right as long as we have each other…

~*FIN*~


End file.
